Battlestar Victorious Volume 3: Honor and Duty
by Wes Imlay
Summary: BSG-66 and other remnants of the Colonial Fleet prepare for the mission to rescue the prisoners being kept by the Cylons on Ostarsis. Meanwhile, subversive elements in both the military and civilian populations attempt to undermine the rescue mission.
1. Chapter 1: A Matter of Conscience

**(Author's Note: This story picks up three weeks following the events of Volume II.)**

_**Chapter One: A Matter of Conscience...**_

**Seven Months and Three Weeks since the fall of the Colonies:**

One by one the members of the Praetorium filed into the room aboard _Olympica_, their own makeshift war room. The matter at hand weighed heavily on each of them as they shared careful and reserved glances among one another. Being military officers they were privy to the details of the rescue mission, a mission that each of them felt was unwarranted; and it was here that they drew their plans to achieve their own ends.

"We have a guest today, straight from the _Alestra_," Jupiter said as he stood up and walked to the door, opening it for their visitor.

The room sat in stunned silence as Jupiter opened the door to a man who stood confidently in the doorway. The confident appearance caused many in the room to feel as though they had just been introduced to a smiling devil. The man entered and looked over each of the assembled officers analysing each and every one of them, studying their strengths but above all their weaknesses.

"Gentlemen," he said smiling as though he were their best friend. "My name is Solis, Donte Solis."

"What is the meaning of this?" Saturn demanded. The last thing he wanted was for more people to learn of the Praetorium's existence.

"Mr. Solis here is going to bring a small taste of anarchy to the entire fleet." Jupiter gave each a member a look before continuing, "The only way we can stop this fool's errand to Ostarsis is to paralyze not only the military but the civilian branches of power."

"What are you suggesting?" Neria asked.

"We use Mr. Solis' group to assassinate Governor Rush, Lt. Governor Fowler, the Quorum of Twelve, and any high-ranking members of the Admiralty."

Immediately the members of the Praetorium began to talk to one another in hushed whispers. Donte Solis let them talk, he had no interest in making them be quiet. He simply stood there smiling as he took in the view. They would go along with his plan, of that he had no doubt. He felt a powerful rush come over his body, the exhilaration of being able to shake up the system that had taken place since the Cylons attack was a potent drug.

One thought kept running through his mind, 'Dance my puppets!'

* * *

There was an excited buzz going about the ready room of the battlestar _Athena_. The ship's viper pilots, a motley crew from the various battlestars in the fleet, were waiting for the new arrivals from the _Maytoria._ This was their time to give the nuggets their call signs and welcome them to the squadron.

The hatch to the ready room opened and in walked the _Athena's_ new commanding officer. Commander James Brannigan had been promoted to CO upon the unfortunate death of Commander Charles Watts; it had recently been decided that the promotion would be permanent. Therefore the man who just ten months ago had been the CAG of the _Titan_-class battlestar _Basilisk _was now in command of the _Athena_, _Galactica's_ sister ship and veteran of the First Cylon War.

All the pilots stood at attention when Brannigan entered the room, not sitting until he reached the podium at the front of the room and told them to be seated.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning, sir!" they all said in unison.

"We have a new group of pilots who will be joining us today," Brannigan said, prompting a chorus of cheers and clapping.

"Now one of these pilots is an ensign by the name of Lacey Tolan…" He saw that a few of the faces recognized the last name. "She is related to Admiral Tolan; and I want to remind you that while we don't play favorites and make exceptions with embarrassing call signs… we might want to do things a little different in regards to her. As for the rest, have at it and make sure they are welcomed as a part of this fine crew." Brannigan began leaving the room, prompting the pilots to stand.

Moments later the new squadron of pilots entered the ready room, and the fun began…

* * *

With the election of the Quorum, it was decided to convert unused cabins on the _Olympica_ into offices for the twelve members to use. Aurelia Gilliam's was located on E-Deck, Cabin 67. The recent weeks had been busy for her, especially when it came to the upcoming trial of General Alice Hyde for what she felt were war crimes committed against the Sagitarrons. She fussed with the few personal items she had on her desk, trying to look as neat and officious as possible. She had a visitor that would be arriving soon and she wanted to stress the importance of her and her position.

There was a knock at her door; she checked the time. That must be him… "Who is it?" she asked.

"Your date for tonight." The man's voice sounded serious, but knowing what she had read of him there was no doubt he was putting on a deadpan act.

"In that case, don't keep me in suspense," she said back to the man behind the door.

The door opened, and in walked Admiral Tyrone Carter. Gilliam was impressed by the man, who struck her as more statuesque than anything. At a height of six feet and eight inches, and what she could only assume was a well-muscled physique under his brown skin, it seemed he was at the absolute maximum height allowed a Viper pilot.

"Tell me, Admiral, do you ever go out in civilian clothes? It seems you always have your uniform on," she said with a smile, trying to keep the mood light between them.

"Keeping everyone safe from the Cylons is a full-time job; I'm afraid it's all work and no play," he said to her… then seemed to decide to get to the point, "What do you want?"

She smiled at him, making a mental note to use a genuine smile instead of her political one. "Admiral Carter, I want a lot of things."

"Alright, what do you want the most?"

"The thing I want most... actually two things at this point. The first is to see Alice Hyde brought to justice. The second is to see that the military is put in its proper place and led by honorable men and women."

Carter shook his head before asking the only question he could think of, "How do you sleep at night?"

Gilliam flashed him another smile, "On the right side."

She pulled open a drawer and pulled out a thick folder, "This was given to me by a confidential source. I would like for you to take a look at it."

Carter took the folder and opened it to find a set of plans for the Ostarsis rescue mission, he glanced up at her with a look of disbelief. "How did you get a hold of these? This could be interpreted as grounds for treason; you're in dangerous territory here." He had heard of Gilliam's hostility towards the military; perhaps his last statement would put a little fear into her.

Gilliam seemed unfazed, "I have my sources; but they are confidential and that's all you need to you know. Please tell me it isn't true. Attacking Ostarsis head-on with almost all available warships?"

"It's true."

"Which of the five-stars had the great idea?" Gilliam said, knowing it had to have come from either Kronus or Tolan.

"Tolan's idea, and Kronus' planning."

"Of course it would be Tolan's idea… Is he crazy?"

"A little; but I've known Scott Tolan for years and I think it's what gives him his advantage. Who else could think of anything like this?"

Gilliam looked like she wanted to say something, but Carter cut her off. "Ms. Gilliam, attacking Ostarsis is the only hope those people have."

"The only hope?" she asked.

"The only hope," Carter reiterated.

"What about us?"

"You may want to explain." Carter said to her even though he had an idea as to where she was going.

"Do you want to leave us poor civilians virtually unprotected?"

"Not at all, but this mission is important. I would like to remind you that no matter what number of warships we have at our disposal the Cylons will still outnumber us. If they ever find us and launch a full-scale attack it would not be pretty. We need to rescue those people from Ostarsis, they are resources to both the military and the civilians that we cannot afford to pass up."

"As a consequence, we need to have every warship available to protect us instead of going off on some needless rescue mission." Gilliam pressed, wanting to make Carter see her side of the discussion.

"It's been said that politics is the second oldest profession. In the past seven months I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first."

She was quiet for a moment; but finally gathered her thoughts and decided to stand her ground. "Look Admiral, maybe you don't understand the situation. The Cylons are out to destroy every last one of us! The military is a necessary evil in my eyes, a mere instrument of war. I have no use for war or violence in any form, so even having this talk with you violates my principles."

"Then why are we having this talk?"

"You are a part of the military; you destroy everything and ruin people's lives. I'm trying to be a voice of sanity and save lives. People will die on Ostarsis, both on the ground and in space. You plan like you're going to win this battle, but what if you don't? You are leaving a few damaged and decrepit warships, along with a baseship full of pirates, to save a quarter million of us… It's going to be a slaughter. I have to object to this… this madness."

"If the Cylons hadn't launched their sneak attack, all would still be peaceful. We didn't have a choice; the Cylons forced us here. That is what destroyed that perfect little world of yours. None of us advocated a war; we wanted to keep the peace."

Gilliam scoffed, "You have a strange way of showing it. What do you call those monstrosities you and your people serve on, weapons of peace?"

Carter was starting to lose his cool, "I have a question for you. Why is it people are so willing to believe the worse of our military? Why are the people who put it on the line the last to be trusted, and people like you the first?"

"You want to cross swords with me, Carter? Cause if we get into this, you might just find yourself fighting to keep your flag rank."

"Well, I never meet a Viper pilot yet who didn't like a good bar fight, ma'am."

"You'd best stand down Admiral; I can be either an asset to you or an enemy. You and I belong to the same party, and I had hoped your loyalty would lie there. It seems you are on the side of your peers in the Admiralty. Knowing that, I can't place any value on anything you say."

"Where does that leave us?"

"The trial of General Hyde will continue; and I will do all I can to obstruct your suicide mission. I may not have any real power under the changes Governor Rush made, but I will find every loophole that can be used to my advantage. I can and will resolve this to the outcome I desire." This time Gilliam did not even smile at the man.

"Listen to me closely, Ms. Gilliam. You will not get in the way of this mission, and if you do cause this to fail then I can guarantee that Admiral Tolan will have your ass... and I'm going to own your soul." With that said, Carter turned around and stormed out of the room. The slamming door caused the walls to shake, and only added to the way in which Aurelia Gilliam had been stunned.

"I don't like the way he said that," Gilliam said to herself; she began to wonder if she had pushed Carter too far.

The door opened and she jumped in her seat, only to calm down when it was her top aide, Eli Hunter.

"I just passed Admiral Carter in the hallway; he looks pissed! What's the matter, something serious?"

She tried to compose herself as best she could, "Oh no, no, we're just handing the safety of the entire fleet over to a bunch of criminals."

He tried to make light of the situation, "Well, as long as it's nothing serious." He took the seat in front of her desk and looked at her for a moment before asking, "How do you feel?"

She tried to look as though she was not bothered but knew Hunter would see right through it, "Awful, but it beats being dead." Gilliam decided to just vent, "They don't understand my work! All the military wants to do is destroy everything the Federalist Party stands for! Before they came everything was in its proper place, planners to think, workers to work..."

"You do mean the Cylons…, right?"

"With the way the military has been acting, is there really much of a difference?"

"Aurelia, of all that's holy!" Hunter exclaimed; he could not help but feel it was out of line.

"There's nothing holy about me, Eli. Except maybe what I'd do to those warmongers if I get the chance."

"You would need a blessed miracle if you wanted to take them down."

"I make my own miracles; but have it your way."

Hunter realized that arguing with her would be fruitless. One day she would have to let go of whatever animosity she held towards the military; he only hoped it would happen before it was too late. "I'll have some vintage Ambrosia brought to us."

"I should think so," Gilliam said, hoping the alcohol would help to calm her nerves. Thinking of something else she could use right now, she reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. If there was an occasion where she needed a smoke, this would qualify.

* * *

After his meeting with Gilliam, Carter knew it was important he meet with Scott Tolan. There was something about his talk with her that kept nagging him. He realized in a way that she did not fully appreciate the situation they were in. The Raptor's journey from the _Olympica _to the battlestar _Colossus _only gave him time to ponder the predicament they might find themselves in.

"Scott, she sees this whole rescue mission as a gamble. She worries you're risking the lives of everyone with this operation."

"Everything we do has an element of risk, Tyrone. Besides, this is my gamble. If I win, we all win."

"You have to realize that if you're wrong, Gilliam will destroy you."

Tolan looked his friend and fellow flag officer right in the eye and his words left no room for argument, "I'm not wrong. Despite what some people may think… I do know how to win a battle."

Carter for a moment thought his friend might be having a moment of doubt, but he realized that Tolan was fully confident in both himself and the mission. In a way it was oddly reassuring, especially in light of the heated exchange he had earlier with Aurelia Gilliam. The Quorum delegate from Sagitaron would second guess her chances of stopping the Ostarsis mission if she saw what he was seeing at this moment. Carter felt his confidence rising knowing that Tolan would not waver and would find a way to pull off this mission.

"I could grow to dislike that woman," Carter said.

Tolan's expression turned to one of bemusement, "What do you mean, 'grow to'?"

Carter tried to change the subject, "How do you like your new home?"

"The latest technology, incredible size, and everything else I could ask for."

"I feel a 'but' coming on," Carter said, knowing that Tolan was holding back.

"Very observant… The truth is that the _Colossus_ is no _Victorious_ and at the end of the day, I would rather be on the _Vic_ than here. _Colossus_ is a great ship with a fine crew; but there is only ship that I want to have as my flagship."

"I understand, you've had a love for the _Vic_ ever since you first took command." Carter admitted, knowing he had a similar affinity for the _Sphinx_.

Tolan walked over to a box that lay that on one of the desks in the room and pulled out a piece of paper, "Come have a look at this."

Carter walked over and held up the paper Tolan had taken out of the box, "It's a report from the _Kios_, Woods went to Armistice Station the day the Cylons attacked. Fleet Headquarters had sent out a general message requesting an FTL-capable ship to check on the Station's officer. The officer in question was overdue coming back from Armistice Station. Woods intended to jump there and check on him. Instead the _Kios_ was disabled by the Cylons and its crew taken prisoner.

"Going by what Bridget has mentioned in her communications, the Cylons did not destroy the _Kios_. In theory, it could simply be sitting there at Armistice Station."

"That's only in theory though."

"Well Tyrone, just consider me an optimist."

"Alright then, what do you have in mind?"

"I want you to lead a recovery mission. I believe the _Priam_ has become available, you and the _Atlantia_ are to jump with it to Armistice Station and see if the _Kios_ can be salvaged."

"Sounds simple enough, is there any particular reason why you want the _Kios_?"

"If salvageable then we have a new battlestar to add to our fleet. If non-salvageable then we have a source of spare parts and other materiel for our ships."

"You can count on me."

There was a knock on the door; and a young ensign entered the room.

"Excuse me, there is a reporter waiting to interview Admiral Tolan," Ensign Lucien Whitfield announced. While he had _Colossus_ as his flagship, Ensign Whitfield was serving as his aide.

"Very well, Ensign; please escort Miss Coschignano here for our interview," Tolan said. As part of an attempt to put a more 'human' spin on the Colonial Fleet, Governor David Rush had assigned two reporters to the task of interviewing various people in the Fleet. The task of interviewing him came to a young reporter by the name of Brandy Coschignano from Caprica.

"On that note, I'll go back to _Atlantia_ and bury myself in so much paperwork until we leave for Armistice Station that no reporter will want to interview me," Carter said as he quickly left the room.

"We should all be so lucky," Tolan muttered.

When Coschignano entered the room Tolan excused himself for a minute. A thought had come to him, and he wanted to act on it. He closed the door to a private study that adjoined his flag quarters and picked up the phone. A minute later the _Colossus'_ communications officer had patched him through to the battlecruiser _Nemesis_.

"Admiral Morton, this is Admiral Tolan. I have a job for you." Tolan filled Albert Morton in on the details of Carter's visit with Aurelia Gilliam before giving the information concerning the job he had in mind.

A moment later the connection was severed and Tolan let out a sigh of relief. Admiral Morton was to go over to the _Olympica_ and take the documents concerning the Ostarsis mission from Gilliam. He was to also make sure that she had not made any copies of them. The charge of treason would hopefully keep her in line, but there was another reason for going this route.

Someone had leaked those documents to Gilliam, and it troubled him knowing that it probably came from a person serving in the Colonial Fleet. Someway, somehow he would get to the bottom of this.

* * *

"Did you get the documents I sent?" the woman on the other end of the phone asked.

"Yes I did; they were very insightful. I had no idea the Admiralty was going to go with such a gamble," Aurelia Gilliam said, the exchange with Admiral Carter still fresh in her mind. She had recently been contacted by this mystery woman, who only gave her name as "Neria." It seemed obvious she was a member of the Colonial Fleet; but that was the furthest she was able to get with discovering the woman's identity.

"It's a shame really, all this because of one man's lust for another woman."

Gilliam was not quite sure what to say, "What do you mean 'lust for another woman'?"

Neria laughed, "Admiral Tolan was involved with a lower-ranking officer by the name of Bridget Woods. He was a Major at the time, and she was an Ensign. Caused quite the scandal, but she is now the leader of a group of prisoners on Ostarsis. This isn't so much a rescue mission as it is an errand of lust… I mean love."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Ms. Gilliam, if this information was to be leaked… well it would put the good Admiral Tolan in a very uncomfortable light. Plus it would change the way this fool's errand to Ostarsis is viewed."

"I thank you for this; and the people of this fleet will thank you for stopping this insanity."

"As well they should…" Neria said before severing the connection on the secure line.

Gilliam put the phone down and pondered what the woman's motivations were for coming to her with the Ostarsis plans. She did not have long to think about it. The door opened and in walked Rear Admiral Albert Morton, and she guessed by the look on his face that he was not a social call.

* * *

"'Magnet', I still can't believe you ended up with that as your call sign!" Ensign Lacey Tolan said to Ensign Lynsie Medford, her friend and fellow classmate from the Academy.

"I know and they said it was because I was attractive, though I think they played it safe with you." Medford said. "I ended up with 'Ghost' as my call sign; I didn't think my skin was _that _pale!"

"What did your cousin, the Admiral, have for his call sign?"

"'Orion', like the great hunter from mythology, 'Ghost' doesn't sound quite as impressive as that." Tolan knew that Scott would be proud of her, and would let her know that she had a nice call sign.

"Does it feel different now that you're a bona fide Viper pilot?" Medford asked.

"Well to be honest with you, I still like we stepped back in time. The _Maytoria_ was a relic, and now we're on one of the original battlestars."

"Not to mention we're now a couple of misfits." Medford was referring to the name of the Viper wing on _Athena_. Like on the _Ares_, _Athena's_ air group had been culled from the squadrons on board the _Victorious_, _Sphinx,_ and _Helios_. Major Jeremy Chandler, the CAG, decided to name the group 'The Misfits' and it stuck.

"Let's get to Ready Room Three; don't want to keep the squadron leader waiting," Tolan said as the two women turned the corner that would lead them in the right direction.

* * *

Meanwhile on the _Athena_, two officers were meeting to discuss recent events. They had not realized that they would be posted to the same ship, but yet here they were… two members of the Praetorium both serving on this one battlestar.

"I never thought we'd be posted together… Jupiter would not be pleased with this," Orais said.

"It's not like he could have done anything about it… I've been on here from the moment they brought this relic back into service. I had a nice gig on the _Helios_ until I got moved here," Saturn said with the contempt obvious in his voice.

"From a _Mercury_-class to this… I'm surprised the Cylons haven't completely kicked this ship's ass."

"I think the only thing holding her together is habit… I wanted to stay on the _Victorious_, but that wasn't meant to be."

"At least Neria is still there; I doubt she's going to get transferred off the ship," Orais said, hoping the change in subject would help.

"Yeah and Jupiter can only get moved up if something happens to his CO, seeing as how he's the XO on his battlestar."

"You do realize who we have on this ship, right?" Saturn asked.

"Not particularly;, I only just arrived," Orais said bluntly, the irritation clear in his voice.

"A new ensign by the name of Lacey Tolan." Saturn saw the look in his comrade's eyes. "Yes she is related to Admiral Tolan--his first cousin, though from what I have been told she's more like his younger sister."

"We could use that to our advantage." Saturn smiled, "She could prove quite useful to us… one way or another. She could be turned to our side, or we could use her to send a message to the Admiral."

* * *

Captain Simone Merrick waited patiently in the ready room for her new pilots to arrive. Once the call sign assigning was over with they would arrive for their first briefing. She could have taken part in the traditaion, but opted out of it, just was not something she was interested in.

"Welcome to Viper Squadron Three of the Misfits. I am Captain Simone Merrick, your squadron leader. You are all here fresh from the _Maytoria_ because this squadron was decimated in the Battle of Ochoa. Let me start by making one thing clear… I can't have grand-standers trying to hog the whole show. Results around here are based on co-operation and understanding. Discipline in the air is strict, because that's the only way an outfit like this can operate!" Merrick began her welcoming talk to her new pilots.

"Here I thought it was every man for himself," A male pilot said out loud. Tolan knew by the voice it was Clay Callahan, a freshman at the Academy who seemed to have a crush on her.

Merrick fixed him with a hard stare, "Not these days, it isn't. Just wait until the day you look over your shoulder and see a Cylon sitting on your tail, and you're not able to out-maneuver it! _Then_ you'll know what I'm talking about."

* * *

"Come on, Reese, don't go getting all depressed on me," Major Andrea 'Artimus' Graystone chided her fellow viper pilot, and formerly clandestine lover, as she stood at the foot of his bed.

"It's not like that, Andie. We should be back there on the _Vic_ waiting to get a piece of the toasters. Instead I'm lying in this bed because I got attacked and you're pregnant and having to watch me like this," Captain Reese 'Spartan' Pittman said, exhaling a deep breath to try to release some of his pent-up frustration.

"Well, truth be told you _did_ have a part in my being pregnant. You were there in my office when we played that rousing game of 'Who's your CAG?'. Gods know what would have happened if it had been any other officer except my brother-in-law in command."

"No regrets?" Pittman asked, trying to do something besides complain about being out of action.

"None; we're both adults and we made a choice. The world as we know it is over; whatever lies ahead I want to experience it with you. How about you?"

"Well I guess I can give up seducing all those cute little ensigns that come aboard the _Vic_; some of them girls were cute… but none as cute as you."

She leaned over and kissed him, "Damn right they're not; and don't you forget it!"

"How's your sister?" Pittman had meant to ask about Emily Tolan, and there was no time like the present.

"She is still here on the _Solace_ for the immediate future. Right now it depends on how well physical therapy goes, and the doctors can see if there was any residual brain damage from the coma. So far everything looks promising."

* * *

In the Kria Bunker on Ostarsis, the Resistance had managed to settle into a routine of training and waiting. There was a feeling of impatience among the lieutenants of the group's leader. Commander Bridget Woods, former CO of the battlestar _Kios_, was the only surviving member of the original three leaders of the Resistance. Jesse Quinn and Shane Cornell had sacrificed their lives to ensure that Bridget made it into the Bunker along with the other refugees that had been liberated from the Cylon prison camps. They had blown the entrance to the cave complex and given the Cylons the impression that all had been killed.

The quarters that normally would have been used for the President of the Colonies had become Bridget Woods' private quarters; the adjoining suite served as a meeting room with her lieutenants. The seven level bunker was able to hold the several thousand refugees housed there until the Colonial Fleet could commence their rescue mission.

Woods sat at her desk pouring over the blueprints for the Kria Bunker, in case there might be another way out of what had become a temporary home. She did not hear the door to her quarters open.

"Commander, is this a bad time to disturb you?" The unannounced guest, who almost made Woods jump out of her skin from shock, was Neveah Ratliff. At the age of twenty-nine she was considered a high-profile movie starlet until her capture by the Cylons; Ratliff had served as a 'comfort woman' for the leader of the Cylons, a model known only as 'One'. She had been kept in a nice house on Ostarsis and was only visited by the Cylon when he felt like 'playing' with her. Woods and Ratliff had developed a strong friendship in the time since they first met; if anything they were each other's confidante in this trying time.

"Not at all, Nev; what can I do for you?" Woods asked after getting over the shock of Ratliff's visit.

"I was curious if you had checked out the Holo Room yet?" Ratliff was referring to an area on the Fifth Floor that housed a large room with its own Holoband system. Holoband technology allowed for a seemingly full immersive virtual reality experience, similar to what existed before the creation of the Cylons. The bunker also had other amenities as well, such as a swimming pool that was sized at 50 meters by 25 meters. The room this was located in had a holographic projection of different outdoor scenes, ranging from the open plains of Leonis to the rooftop of a Caprica City high-rise building. There was a tennis court that Bridget had taken advantage of on several occasions.

"Afraid not, but it seems to be helping morale from what I've been told," Woods confessed; she felt the more claustrophobic should take advantage of the system. Her whole Colonial Fleet career had been spent on a battlestar; and never once had she felt a twinge of claustrophobia.

"I'm about to call it a night; I'll see you tomorrow. Nev," Bridget said as she walked over and opened the door.

"Goodnight, Commander," Ratliff said as she exited the room.

With her gone, Bridget closed the door and locked it. She was able to keep track of the few weeks that she had been down here. In truth, the monotony was bothering her more than anything else. At least when they had the caves it was possible to go out and rescue people or do something… productive. Now she was reduced to a waiting game and in this case patience was not a virtue she had.

"Scott, I know I shouldn't care how long it takes you to get here… but get here soon if you can," she said to an empty room.


	2. Chapter 2: Friend and Foe Alike

Chapter Two: Friend and Foe Alike

_**OLYMPICA:**_

"You know this is a waste of time." Rear Admiral Naomi Sakura said to her fellow flag officer as they rounded a corner on C-Deck of the _Olympica_. The huge flagship of the Colonial Line now served as the fleet's de facto capital, taking on the role of open spaceport.

"I know that, but I'm humoring the woman." Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan said, trying his best to keep a straight face.

"I've been an officer in the battle group for almost two years now. With all due respect, you are not the humoring type."

"You know how to cut through the B.S. and that is why I promoted you twice in less than a year."

"The first time was when Commander Gates died of a heart attack and then the second time you chose me to take command of BSG-66 in case something should happen to you. I do appreciate the votes of confidence though."

"Something tells me you want to know why we're doing this."

Tolan was walking at a fast clip, seeming to leave Sakura behind him. Considering Naomi Sakura was reputed to be a workout warrior it said plenty about how Tolan was leaving her behind.

Sakura redoubled her efforts at keeping pace with Tolan's 'spaceport walk' and when she caught up with him said, "My curiosity is getting the best of me."

"Aurelia Gilliam has called me in for a closed meeting with her defense committee. Now with her I can only assume it's something bad so you're coming along for the ride. It's the nature of politics; you have to give a little in order to get what you want."

"I could have sworn you hated politics."

"I do, but the environment I grew up in ensured that I learned how to play the game."

"I don't doubt it." Sakura said.

"Admiral Tolan!" A woman's voice called out from the crowd.

Tolan looked in the direction of the voice and recognized who it was. "That's Lt. Zelada. Meet me at the First Class Lounge on A-Deck."

"Very well, I'll see you there." With that said, Sakura turned and headed for the nearest elevator.

Tolan walked to Zelada, returning the salute the lieutenant had given him.

"Good to see you Miss Zelada, what can I do for you?" Tolan asked. Zelada had been stationed in the Flag CIC of Victorious during the recent battle at Cosmora.

"I was wondering if you had time to talk sir." She asked, looking visibly nervous.

"I've always kept an open-door policy with the crew. If you don't mind me asking, have you gone to Commander Graystone?"

"I would have sir, but I don't know him as well as I do you. I need someone to talk to, and you're the only one I can trust."

Tolan nodded, "Very well Miss Zelada, I believe there is a restaurant on this deck. We can talk there."

Sixteen minutes later the two officers were seated in a booth at the Tenala Restaurant.

"What is on your mind?" Tolan asked after taking a sip of his water.

"Well Admiral, I don't know if I should admit this to you or not but I am scared." Zelada said, looking visibly nervous.

"That's natural; all of us are going to get scared during this campaign."

"Even you, sir?"

"I've faced my fears more than once during this conflict. We have to have the courage to make through the adversity we face."

"With all due respect, how do you define courage?"

Tolan was quiet, reflecting on the past seven months. When he first got the report of the Cylon attacks his mind froze for an instant as he tried to digest just what was happening. He had seen combat once or twice in his career up until that day. Now he thought of all the times he had sent his ships into harm's way, knowing that he might find himself among those listed on the casualty list. "To me courage is being afraid but rising to the challenge in spite of it."

"Thank you Admiral, I feel better hearing that." Zelada did not sound quite as convincing to Tolan, but he let it slide. "Permission to speak freely?"

Tolan nodded and Zelada spoke up, "I wonder if you had any reservations when you went up against Hector Alonzo and the other civilians who've tried to take you out of the fight?"

Tolan thought it over for a few minutes, "That was different; I knew I was on the right side of that argument. That whole thing with Hector Alonzo, especially the incident with the Olympica, was a game of chicken."

"Sir, you threatened to blow up the _Olympica_ and everyone on board, those are high stakes for a game of chicken."

"I'm not the one who decided the stakes; I just played with what I was dealt."

"I'm due back to the _Victorious_ in the next hour! Sorry to cut this short Admiral." She said as she got up from the table.

"Give my regards to Commander Graystone. By the way Miss Zelada, just what were you doing over here on the _Olympica_?"

"I was running some documents over to a member of the Quorum, too sensitive to send electronically. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me Admiral Tolan, you helped me quite a bit."

"Glad I could help you lieutenant, I still have an open-door policy but next time you might want to go to Commander Graystone before you come see me."

"I will, and thank you again."

Tolan noticed that Zelada seemed a bit too eager to get out of the restaurant.

_**ATHENA:**_

Major Jeremy "Hercules" Chandler, CAG of the _Athena_, sat behind the LSO in the Traffic Control Center located in the starboard flight pod. He wanted to see first-hand how the new squadron performed with their landings. This would have been a task for Captain Simone Merrick, but he pulled rank on her and now he saw the next pilot come in for a landing. He looked at the board and saw that the pilot in question was Ensign Lynsie 'Magnet' Medford. It was the next pilot due for landing that served as the reason for his being here for this observation.

Chandler decided to see just how well this next pilot could land. He walked over and took the headset away from the LSO.

"Ghost, this is CAG. Do you copy?"

"CAG, this is Ghost. I copy."

"Alright Ghost, take her in on a hands-on approach."

"Hands-on approach, aye!"

'Alright Lace, keep it together.' Lacey Tolan thought to herself as she tried to line her viper up with the flight pod for the hands-on approach. Of all the landings this was the type that never failed to make her nervous. Automated landings were a breeze, but these were gut-wrenching. The tiniest mistake could prove fatal.

Moving the Viper in position for her landing, she took a look at the ball to make sure her glide path was on target. Her mind swirled with thoughts of how embarrassing it would be for her to suffer a wave-off or even worse to deal with a 'bolter' where she would have to fly out of the other side of the flight pod and try it again.

'Bring it down Lace, you're going to do it,' she kept her thoughts together and did all she could to vanquish any doubt that might be creeping in.

Her mind brought up a piece of advice she had been given by Commander Artimus Bowman of the battlestar _Hermes_, 'Don't think too hard on your landing, just let your training and instincts guide you down. Think too hard and you'll make a mistake.'

The pod was getting closer and closer now, the voice of the LSO seemed to be guiding her but she found it hard to focus on what he was saying. She knew the words to listen for and everything appeared to be going well. Her Viper entered flight pod and she judged her landing well enough to land on the magnetized surface and be lowered into the hangar bay. Was her approach sloppy? Did she make any errors on her landing? Questions flooded her mind; the last thing she wanted was to leave a hint of doubt as to her ability to fly a Viper.

Chandler watched as Ghost, otherwise known as Ensign Lacey Tolan, called the ball and made a smooth landing with her Viper. He was impressed; Ensign Tolan seemed to already have a feel for flying that eluded quite a few pilots. He returned the headset to the LSO and had him send word for Tolan to meet him in his office once she was out of her Viper.

He sat at his desk and busied himself with some business, some of which dealt with his colleagues in the Fleet. When Tolan came into the room he offered a seat, which she immediately took.

"Nice landing out there Ghost, you have a knack for this."

"Thank you sir, I appreciate that." Tolan said.

"From what I read of Admiral Tolan, it seems the apple didn't fall far from the tree. I'm sure he's proud of you."

"I'm sure he is. He's one of the people that have had a large influence on my life."

"Who else has influenced you?"

"Admiral Carter is one, and Commander Artimus Bowman."

"I remember Bowman; I was on _Hermes _when he took command. A month after that I got orders to report to the _Helios_."

"He told me that there was nothing wrong with piloting a Raptor, but I had my heart set on becoming a Viper pilot."

"I think you'll be able to hold your own out there, you seem to be ahead of most of the pilots."

"I hadn't reached basic flight yet, but I had a basic understanding of how Vipers worked. When I got to the _Maytoria_ for flight training I was already familiar with how to operate them."

"It shows, I could tell a difference between the pilots who volunteered from the civilian population and pilots such as you who actually spent time at the Academy."

"Thank you, I'm glad I could leave a good impression on you."

"I'm going to ask you a question, and I want you to think about it before answering. Can you do that?"

"Of course I can, sir."

"Would Admiral Tolan be one to make a rash decision? I mean one where he lets his emotions get the better of him?"

She thought it over, "The one I knew growing up would more than likely weigh the consequences before acting."

"Ahh…" Chandler leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head, "What can you say about the Admiral Tolan of today? After all we've been through after nearly eight months one would have to wonder."

"I wouldn't know. I haven't been here all of those eight months. Is there a point to these questions?"

"Just getting a better feel for the man, after all he is in charge of the Fleet along with Kronus. For the sake of everyone I would think it best to hope that the Cylons haven't driven him to make any decisions that would be unwise."

"Understood Major, will there be anything else?" She had a sudden urge to bolt from the room; something about the CAG had unsettled her.

_**ATLANTIA:**_

The battlestar _Atlantia_ jumped to the area that had been the location of Armistice Station. Carter had left word with _Vestal _that the mobile dry dock was to wait at the Charon weapons anchorage until he could find the _Kios _and confirm that it was salvageable. As important as the battlestar was to the fleet, it would be crazy to waste one of only three mobile dry docks still in operation. They were now the only facilities with the capability of repairing damaged ships.

"DRADIS reports negative contacts Admiral; the Cylons are nowhere to be found." Lt. Kylli Vanamo, the on-duty Tactical Officer, announced.

"Excellent Miss Vanamo. I want a CAP launched and every Raptor out there searching for the _Kios_." Admiral Tyrone Carter ordered.

"Do you really think we'll find her?" Colonel Sean O'Rourke asked.

"I'm hoping we will, but it doesn't make sense for the Cylons to take shut the ship down and take prisoners just to blow it up afterwards."

"If I were the toasters I'd use it for research, get a better feel for how our ships are designed."

"If they were able to shut the Fleet down the way they did, then they know plenty about the design of our ships."

"Sir, Major Rayko reports that the CAP has launched, the Raptors will be following shortly behind." Lt. Jared Vega, the Communications Officer reported. Simeon Rayko had been promoted from Captain to Major when Celina Cruz took over as Executive Officer on the _Victorious_. He had been her personal selection to take her place of CAG of the _Atlantia_.

A loud explosion shook the _Atlantia_, throwing everyone in the CIC to the floor. Carter finally managed to get to his feet after several smaller explosions rocked the battlestar.

Lt. Colonel Virgil Linas took a report from the hands of one of his electricians and gave it a once over. There had been some reports of faulty wiring in tylium release valves, meaning that the fuel in the tanks was not completely getting through to the engines. Linas blamed part of it on the quick rebuild given to the _Atlantia _once Admiral Tolan made the decision to salvage the battlestar. There was nothing he could do about it now, _Atlantia_ had been commissioned back into the fleet and would be needed for frontline duty until the Cylons were finally defeated.

He would get an electrician group together to try to solve the problem. He looked out from his office into the massive main engine room and felt a sense of pride in his ship. He had been stationed on the _Sphinx_, and the joy he felt working in that battlestar did not even come close to what he felt now that he was the man in charge of making _Atlantia _run smoothly.

He picked up his coffee cup and took a long drink, savoring the liquid fuel he was going to send coursing through his body. He sat it down and was going to read another report when he heard a deafening explosion. He immediately shot out of his chair and bolted for the door. He was reaching for the handle when the room collapsed all around him and there was nothing but blackness.

"Report!" Carter shouted to his Tactical Officer.

"There are reports of explosive decompressions along the dorsal side of the hull between frames 59 and 62."

"Set Condition One throughout the ship and seal all bulkheads between those frames."

"Sir, I'm getting reports that the Engine Room has been destroyed, a few survivors managed to make it out of the emergency escape trunks, but not many. Chief Mills has scrambled DC teams that are fighting small fires that have broken out in the areas near the Engine Room."

"I want an analysis of our power situation, how much time do we have until the emergency generators quit working."

"Sir, how do you know they're working now?" Colonel Sean O'Rourke asked.

"If the Engine Room is completely gone then that means the only thing keeping power and life support going are those emergency generators."

Carter turned to face the Communications station, "Mr. Vega we need one of the raptors to jump to Charon and let the _Vestal _know of our situation. The sooner they get here the sooner we can dock the _Atlantia_ before we lose power and life support."

"With all due respect sir, I think we need to get a message to Admiral Tolan about this."

"First we'll get _Atlantia _inside _Vestal _so we can see just how severe the damage is. I also don't want to give the toasters any idea we're here, and a distress call would be too risky."

"Sir, I'm receiving a message from the Raptor squadron and the CAP requesting orders." Vega announced.

"Have the Raptors keep scouting this sector for the _Kios_. I want all Vipers recalled here to defend us in case this was a Cylon attack." Carter said, not wanting to make it sound more ominous than it may actually be. He looked up at the DRADIS display but there were no contacts showing, Cylon or otherwise.

"Admiral, I'm receiving a message from Lt. Sasser. He's volunteered to jump to Charon with his Raptor and alert Vestal to our situation." Vega announced after receiving the message from Lt. Michael "Dragon" Sasser.

"Very well then, tell him we'll see him soon."

_**OLYMPICA:**_

"I'm glad you were willing to meet with me Admiral." Aurelia Gilliam said to her dinner guest.

"I wasn't sure what to expect from you, or even why you wanted to meet with me." Rear Admiral Naomi Sakura said, still unsure as to why she had been asked here to the _Olympica_.

"You're the only woman Colonial Fleet flag officer in a male-dominated hierarchy."

"Does that make me more or less dangerous? Besides, General Hyde is also a flag officer." Sakura swore she saw a flash of anger in Gilliam's eyes at the mention of Hyde but the Quorum delegate appeared to get her emotions back in check.

"I didn't mean it like that; I just feel that out of the Admiralty you were the one I could best relate to."

"From what I have been told you have a less-than-stellar view about the military. You come clean with me about that and we might have a starting point."

"You know how to negotiate; I like that quality in a person. You could say it all goes back to General Hyde. You see, before her actions at Iambe I was pretty much apolitical and no feelings one way or another towards the military."

"I take it you lost somebody that day."

"Yes I did. I had been married for about five years; my husband's name was Ian Gilliam. That day he went there with my two nephews to take part in the protest. When Hyde let her 'dogs of war' loose on the protestors they were killed in the skirmish."

"It makes sense then. You never forgave Hyde or the military for what happened that day."

"Perhaps, all I know is a part of me died that day and I have never trusted the military since." A pause before Gilliam asked her next question, "Does Tolan know you're meeting with me?"

"No, he had already invited me here for this meeting with your committee. Why are you asking?"

"I had a file delivered to me this morning, from an anonymous source. If this is to be believed then Admiral Tolan disobeyed an order to relinquish command of the _Victorious _when the battle at Cosmora took place."

_**DIA GRIENE HOTEL:**_

_**OSTARSIS:**_

A meeting was taking place on Ostarsis inside the Dia Griene Hotel, the former luxury hotel-turned base of operations of the Cylons.

"Welcome, Hector. I have grave news." One said with an unusually serious look on his face.

"What would that be?" Hector asked. He was flanked by two of the older model centurions though he had no idea why.

"It comes down to a vote we took recently, after reviewing your performance at Cosmora."

"We had made a deal though. What of our bargain?"

"I now alter the bargain." One said, moving away from the table he had been standing at.

"How can you change one side of a bargain?" Hector asked, confusion beginning to cloud his mind.

"When there is no other side. I'm afraid we had lost our focus when we made that deal with you. Like us, you have forgotten the entire point of the war."

It dawned on Hector what was being talked about, the destruction of humanity. Even though he was working with the Cylons, he was still very much human. "I have no ambitions against you, if anything I have been working to become an asset to you!"

One let out a bitter laugh, "Could you think us so foolish as to trust a man who would see his own race destroyed?"

"We were going to spare them once the military was defeated. The civilians were to be subjugated, under me."

"There can be no survivors. So long as one human remains alive, the Cylons will continue to be threatened."

Hector began shaking his head furiously as he struggled to grasp what was happening, "Surely, you don't mean me?"

The two centurions each grabbed an arm, pulling him down to his knees. One began walking towards him, producing a long blade in his hand.

"We thank you for your help, Mr. Alonzo. Your service will no longer be required."

Hector began shouting, "No! You can't! You still need me…" He did not get to finish the sentence as the Cylon slit his throat with the knife. It did not take long for the man to die.

One leaned over the body and glared at it with all the disgust he felt towards humanity. This was another example of how frail and useless the human body was, the same type of body that served as his prison. How he wished he could be like the Centurions, the perfection of mechanized life. Instead he was stuck in an organic bag of meat that did nothing but cause his disdain for those who created him to grow.

_**OSTARSIS, KRIA BUNKER:**_

There was only one person in the tennis court of the Kria Bunker; Bridget Woods powered her way through another session of tennis. It seemed most people preferred to use the holo-band, but for her there was nothing better than a good workout. She had chosen the scenery of Leonis for this tennis session. Around her it looked as though she was playing a game on the plains of Leonis. Yesterday she had done the Caprica City rooftop setting, but tired of the skyscraper look and wanted something a bit more rustic.

She finished her session and took a seat on a nearby bench and began taking in deep breaths. She had pushed herself hard on that one, and her body was letting her know it. Still it was great to at least feel alive. A door opened and in walked Neveah Ratliff, a former movie starlet and her only confidante here in the bunker.

"Sorry I'm late, that holo-band can be addictive!" Ratliff explained.

"You've been spending a lot of time on that is that healthy?" Woods chided.

"You would know there's nothing addictive if you would only give it a try."

"Even here the last thing I can afford is to live in a fantasy; I have to stay grounded in real life."

"You don't know what you're missing; you can forget all this here and not worry about the Cylons."

"I'll have time for that when I go to sleep, that works well enough for me."

Ratliff walked over to where Woods sat and took a seat beside her.

"Nev, why do you want to spend almost all of your time in the holo-band?"

"No reason, it's just something for fun."

"As a commanding officer of mine would say, 'there's the lie, now you can tell me the truth.'"

"The infamous Scott Tolan?"

"Yes, and don't go changing the subject."

"Damn it! Well Bridget, it's complicated."

"Of course it is. Nothing is ever simple nowadays."

Ratliff got up and grabbed her shoes, "I have to go, and I promise we'll talk later!"

Woods watched as she left the room in a hurry and when she was alone she said aloud, "Sure we will, once I tie you down and force you to talk."

_**OLYMPICA:**_

The meeting of the Quroum's Defense Committee, let by Aurelia Gilliam, had been one of ill-shown hostility between the Federalists and Admiral Tolan. Gilliam in particular seemed to relish throwing barbs Tolan's way. At first the admiral took it in stride and would not respond to what could easily be seen as assaults on his character. Gilliam, however, had no intention of letting up and grilled Tolan over ever perceived shortcoming she could think of.

"It will go better for you, Admiral, if you'd show a little respect." Gilliam said, not bothering to hide her irritation with Tolan.

"You mean things could get worse?"

"Admiral Tolan, I would think an officer of your caliber would understand the importance of holding this conference." Peter Halle, the Quorum member representing Libran, said in attempt to stop any possible bickering between Tolan and Gilliam.

"Well, I have the inclination, the maturity, and the wherewithal... but unfortunately, I don't have the time. You may not realize this, but we are in a war and there is an important operation being planned."

"This plan I have heard about is a bit reckless, I question whether you have thought this through logically." Gilliam retorted.

"Your lack of confidence in me is duly noted Ms. Gilliam, but I have a mission to complete and that's exactly what I intend to do whether you like it or not. Do we understand each other?"

"I have to wonder if you and I are even capable of reaching an understanding." Gilliam felt that she and Tolan were so ideologically incompatible that they could never see eye-to-eye.

"I had a professor at the Fleet Academy who said something that has stayed with me since the day I heard it, 'The difference between success and failure is your ability to adapt to your enemy.' We have to deal with the Cylons and they more than demonstrated that they don't care about rules."

"That may be true, but we do have our rules and it is important that we abide by them. Doing things your way will only cause the civilians in this fleet to turn against you and those in the military." Kurt Eckhart, the Aerilon representative said.

"The people of this fleet can love or hate me, makes no difference to me. My job is to keep them safe, and that is why I put this uniform on and make the decisions that have to be made. As for you Ms. Gilliam, do not sit up there with that smug look on your face and expect me to regret the decisions I have made. I am doing what I deem necessary to save innocent lives. I am more than willing to let History make its judgment of me, all that matters to me is that we live to see another day."

"For someone who cares little for being judged, you seem to be a bit obsessed with it. I suppose that comes with being your 'unique' position." Gilliam stated her observation.

"Ms. Gilliam, allow me to enlighten you. You have no idea what it is like to be in my shoes, so I will let you in on what goes on in my world. I stand at the Command and Control Station with charts, maps, DRADIS screens, inventory lists, crew evaluations, oxygen replenishment reports and things of that nature when I'm having what you would term a 'quiet day'. When it comes to battle I don't have the luxury of studying all the information, but I make my decision and pray to the gods that I am right before I send men and women to fight and possibly die. You are correct, I care little for how I am judged, and I stand by that. All I ask for is that the gods have mercy on my soul for all who have died under my command. Since the Cylons attacked us, every day for me has been judgment day."

There was a long silence before Gilliam started up again, "So what you are saying, Admiral Tolan is that the ends justify the means and you are above the law."

Tolan let out a deep sigh, "Why don't I save you some time. It's obvious that your agenda here is to discredit the Admiralty and myself."

"The truth is all I care about."

"You sound like you were involved in some kind of a tragedy, but I had nothing to do with it. That might explain your hostility towards the military."

"How dare you! You do not get to dictate the questions of my committee! You are dismissed Admiral Tolan. We will now question Dr. Latasha Dennis."

Dr. Latasha Dennis entered the room and took a seat at the table situated in front of where the Defense Committee was situated.

"Dr. Dennis I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to come before this committee." Aurelia Gilliam said to the doctor after she had been sworn in for her testimony.

"I'm sure you have a reason for taking me off of the _Solace_ where I could still be assisting my patients," she responded tersely.

"This is a matter of importance. Do you remember an incident about a month ago when you treated Admiral Scott Tolan?" Gilliam asked.

Dennis looked to the table on the right where Tolan and Sakura were seated, "Yes I do."

"Would you be as kind as to elaborate on why Admiral Tolan was in need of treatment?"

"Admiral Tolan had been on a mission with the Marines and in the process was injured."

"How severe were these injuries?"

"A micro-fracture to his collarbone and a broke rib, there were various other bruises, scrapes, cuts, and so forth but nothing life threatening."

"I see. From the records sent over from the _Solace_, you had prescribed some strong pain medication for Admiral Tolan."

"I did, the two fractures were painful enough and warranted a degree of medication in order to allow Admiral Tolan to function and carry out his duties in a non-combat setting."

"Seeing how we are in the aftermath of a battle that was recently fought, a battle in which Admiral Tolan did not relinquish his command as required by yourself and Governor Rush, would you agree that he overstepped his bounds?"

"Not at all."

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"I told Admiral Tolan that he would be required to relinquish command of the_ Victorious_ in case of a battle. As you can tell from the reports, he did just that by putting Commander Andre Graystone in command. What he did not do was relinquish overall command of Battle Group 66. While I had hoped that would not happen, it seems Admiral Tolan found a loophole through my orders and used it."

"I am recommending that Admiral Tolan be relieved for disobeying a direct order from yourself and Governor Rush. I'm sure you can see the logic of such a thing Doctor." Gilliam said, hoping that she had finally got something to remove Tolan from the military.

"In that case Ms. Gilliam you have a problem with finding another doctor." Dennis said as she stood up from her chair and left the conference room.

"Admiral Tolan, talk to her." Alfred Newton, the Picon representative, demanded.

"Oh, I plan to." Tolan said as he stood up to go after her.

"Excellent." Gilliam said with a smug smile on her face.

"I plan on telling her that she has given me one of the proudest moments of my life," he said to the twelve members of the Quorum with a pleased smile on his face. "Something marvelous has happened here. Please... do not let it pass unnoticed." Tolan pleaded with the Quorum.

"Would you mind telling me what all that means?" Gilliam said, her irritation with the admiral growing by the second.

"Dr. Dennis has just reaffirmed that humanity _is_ worth saving." Tolan said before leaving the conference room, leaving all twelve members of the Quorum looking dumbfounded.

When Tolan returned to the conference room he found it empty except for Sakura, who informed him, that the council had recessed until tomorrow. She asked what would be done next, and it was then that Tolan came up with his next plan.

Aurelia Gilliam was sitting at her desk fuming over what had taken place with Tolan. She was so furious that she even sent Eli Hunter, her closest aide and confidante, away for a few hours so she would cool down. The door to her office opened, and she expected to see Hunter enter the room. Instead she was greeted by Admiral Tolan.

"I've got a long list of people I don't want to see, and your name is right at the top"

"I'm sure. I came here for a reason; it's not a social call."

"Well then, by all means Admiral. Enlighten me so I can send you away from here."

"With the Ostarsis mission coming up, the last thing we need is to let partisan politics divide us. I'm offering an olive branch to you so we can work together and put our differences aside at least for now."

Gilliam glared at him, "Take your offer and cram it up your ass".

For whatever reason Tolan did not look surprised, "I'm offering to be your friend. You _don't_want to be my enemy."

"Let me make myself clear. I do not want to disband the military; I want responsible officers in charge. Those who know the ultimate authority resides with the civilians and understand their accountability. What we do not need is a renegade who believes in shooting from the the hip and dealing with the consequences later. You're reckless and a danger to not only yourself but to your crew and the civilians in this fleet. I will not stand aside and let you endanger us!"

"Here's something interesting. My grandfather always told me that politicians were sons of bitches, but I never believed it till now."

"Frak off, Tolan!"

Tolan did not move right away. Instead he leaned in close to her, closer than she was expecting. She made eye contact with him and saw a certain hardness to his blue eyes that seemed to penetrate to her very core.

"You can either support my efforts or be crushed under my heel...but you will _not _stand in my way!"

"Have you ever heard the phrase, 'The pen is mightier than the sword.'?"

"I have, and whoever said that never encountered automatic weapons."

"You know I am a pacifist by nature."

"Just so you know Ms. Gilliam, the pacifists are as much a traitor to their country and to humanity as is the most brutal wrongdoer." Tolan was not sure if he really meant it, but he hoped it would be enough to keep Gilliam off-balance.

Tolan walked out of the office, giving the door a noticeable slam. Gilliam sat there feeling a sense of victory. In her eyes she had stood up to Tolan and let him know that she would not be some mere pushover for him.

The door opened and Gilliam prepared for another battle of wills, instead Eli Hunter entered the room.

"First you get into it with Carter and now you go up the food chain and lock horns with Tolan. May I make a request?"

"Sure Eli, what would that be?"

"The next time you decide to piss off one of the admirals please tell me so I can hide."

"You worry too much."

Hunter shook his head, "You're playing with fire Aurelia, and I don't want to see you burned."

"You are so dramatic, do you need some downtime?"

"If you are planning on making life hell for the Admiralty then I want a wide berth. Do you remember that this is the same Tolan who threatened to blow up this very ship?"

"Do you realize the responsibility I carry? It feels as though I'm the only person standing between Scott Tolan and this mistake of a military operation."

"You sound like some sort of idealist."

Meanwhile, Tolan and Sakura were meeting the other members of the Defense Committee. In particular were the two Nationalists members and the one Independent. Tolan left his meeting with Gilliam knowing he had to do something about her, especially since she seemed to be taking a decidedly hard stance against him.

Alfred Newton, who had spoken up during the earlier meeting, was the first to speak.

"Admiral Tolan, we would appreciate it if you could clear up why you are undertaking the mission to Ostarsis."

"Very well, we are currently alive and on the run from the Cylons. Many were not as fortunate as us, and now we know that there are prisoners being kept on Ostarsis. Both military and civilian I might add. I cannot in good conscience let them stay there at the mercy of the Cylons."

"You seem to be convinced you are doing the right thing, why is that?" Marian Sanders, the Aquarian representative, asked.

"With this uniform comes the responsibility of protecting the lives of the people of the Colonies. I do not shrink from this responsibility, I welcome it. The path we have ahead of us is full of hazards, as all paths are. The cost of freedom is always high, but the Colonies have always paid it. The one path we shall never choose is the path of surrender or submission."

Newton spoke again, "You are taking on a huge responsibility with this admiral."

"Sure it's a big job; but I don't know anyone who can do it better than I can. There are those, like Aurelia Gilliam, who look to the past to shape how they view the world we live in now. The one thing that needs to be understood is this; because of the Cylons the world is very different now."

"As you mentioned before," Kurt Eckhart began, "We live as secure as we can in these circumstances. Why should we risk what we still have in order to save a few thousand?"

"There are risks and costs to every action. However, the worst of all risks is the one of comfortable inaction. Let me put this thought out there for you; when you see a rattlesnake poised to strike, you do not wait until he has struck to crush him."

"Give us some time Admiral Tolan, and I can assure you that we will have some idea of what our next step will be."

Tolan and Sakura stood up and shook hands before leaving. Neither said a word as they navigated the well-decorated corridors of the _Olympica_.

"May I ask what you're thinking?" Sakura finally asked.

"There is more selfishness and less principle among members of the Quorum than I had any conception of, and that includes the dealings I had during that rescue mission I led six years ago."

"It would have been preferable if fate had dealt us a better hand."

"We can't dwell on that though, the way I look at it is that we do what we can, with what we have, where we are. In other words, if you don't have a hammer you use a rock."


	3. Chapter 3: Fight or Flight

_**Chapter Three: Fight or Flight**_

_**SOLACE:**_

Emily Tolan woke up from her deep sleep and despite her fog felt a presence at her side. She turned her head to the left, her blue eyes trying to focus.

"Hello Emily." The voice belonged to a woman, and it sounded familiar.

She mentally fought through the fog and her eyes focused at last. When she saw who it was, she could not help but smile.

"Brooke!" Even as the word emanated from her mouth she still couldn't quite believe she was saying them. Part of her had come to believe that somehow she had shrugged off the mortal coil and was now with her friend in the afterlife but the medical surroundings quickly extinguished that possibility and as she finally became convinced she really was looking at her friend whom she believed to have died in the bombing of the Colonies she smiled and said, "You're alive! Thank the Gods your alive!" Emily finally accepted that here beside her was Brooke Bowman, one her best friends and an honorary aunt to Lacey.

Brooke gripped her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze, "It took me a while to get clearance to come on here. I had to convince your sister that I was who I said I was and then I had to wait until a transport shuttle was making a trip to the _Pandion_."

"I was on the _Olympica_ but then I got…" Emily's voice trailed off before she simply said, "Injured during a riot."

"Andrea filled me in on what happened. Gods Em, I wish I could have been there for you sooner. I know Scott had to have been scared." Brooke was quiet for a long moment before finally asking, "Does Scott know anything about Artimus?"

Emily shook her head, "He's kept an ear out for anything just in case but he hasn't found anything to actually confirm if the _Hermes_ is still around. All Scott has to go by is his gut and that tells him that Artimus is still alive."

Brooke smiled, "You're a good friend for saying that." Brooke began to lower her head away from her friend. Emily tugged on the hand that Brooke had laid on her hers. Brooke looked up.

"We don't know for sure that he is gone. That's something!"

"I guess in this case no news is better than bad news" said Brooke. "It's as though whether he's alive or not is a bigger secret than the one him and Scott kept from us."

"Which one was that?"

"The one back when they first met, when Artimus was CAG on the_ Valkyrie_."

"Ah yes, that one. Scott would never tell me what really happened during that mission. He'd gladly talk to me about anything except that mission."

"For what it's worth, the only time I got Artimus to open up about it was when he started talking in his sleep. It was as though he was reliving whatever happened."

Emily could not help but be curious, "What did he say?"

"I heard him tell Scott, 'We can't just leave her!' and then came one name, 'Galit!'" Brooke paused before continuing, "The next morning I asked about it, and his face turned white as though he couldn't believe he let it slip out. He held my hand and told me that it was something he couldn't talk to me about for so many reasons."

The two of them became quiet. This was something that had dominated Brooke's mind just before the bombs fell on the Colonies and it was a cruel twist of fate that this should be the last thoughts she would have about her husband. It was as if Brooke's emotions were trapped in some kind of loop that she was unable to break from. She couldn't escape from her thoughts and unless she was to one day find Artimus alive she probably never would. It took a few minutes before Emily asked, "Brooke just how did you escape?"

"I was at our home in Delphi, along with a group of teachers, going over the proposal the Secretary of Education had made to us, it seemed to do the job of making the teachers' union call off the strike. Suddenly the bombs started falling and a group of the teachers and I ran to our cars to get as far away as we could. Thankfully I had that blue and white sports car Scott let me borrow, it had the speed to get me to the nearest spaceport. I managed to get onto the _Pandion_, and for the past seven months I've been working as a teacher. There were several families that made it onto the freighter and I have been working with a few other teachers to teach the kids on the ship."

"That way you'd keep their minds off of what was going on."

Brooke nodded, "It helped quite a bit. Before I knew it weeks had gone passed. I was just in my own little bubble and I was afraid to step out of it. I think I was afraid to admit what was happening. It was all just…I tried to make contact with Scott, but each time I was told he was busy and could not be disturbed. I thought if Scott survived then surely Artimus has been spared. There was a window on the _Pandion_ that I used to look out of once every day. I used to think that today would be the day Hermes just pulls up alongside and everything was going to be alright. Before I even realized it months had gone passed but still no Hermes. I heard a rumor that you had been injured during the riots on the _Olympica_ and if anyone asks I'm one of your sisters."

Emily smiled, "You _are_ one of my sisters?"

"Well maybe not by blood but you're like a sister to me…the people asking just didn't need to know the specifics."

Another silence fell between the two women. Emily knew what she should ask Brooke about but it seemed clear that her friend was not yet willing to talk about it.

"Remember that last shore leave we all spent together?" Brooke finally asked.

"Yeah, we went to a couple of the finest restaurants and clubs in Caprica City."

Brooke smiled, "Remember the Zephyrus Club? We went there after we had dinner at the Gareth Street Grille. You let me dance with Scott because Artimus claimed to be a lousy dancer; the last time the four of us would be together and not have to talk about work or the Fleet."

"Good times," smiled Emily.

Brooke smiled before her lower lip began to quiver and her chin rippled. "I knew then that…that something was wrong. They both knew it. They wouldn't talk about it but I knew that they were holding back on something." Emily held out her arm and took her friends hand to comfort her. It was a cruel fate that had befallen them. Only Artimus was missing from their group. "I know he is alive! I just know…"

_**XANTHUS:**_

The commissioning ceremony was over on the newest addition to the Colonial Fleet. The _Xanthus_ had been successfully converted from a _Valkyrie_-class battlestar to what had been termed a 'Marine Battlestar'. The Viper handling facilities had been removed and the launch tubes converted into berthing spaces for the Colonial Marines that would serve onboard. Not to say the _Xanthus_did not carry an airwing. A squadron of vertical takeoff vipers had been developed as well as heavy transport Raptors for deploying the Marines to wherever needed. Outwardly the _Xanthus_ still resembled a battlestar, but on the inside the ship was anything but a normal battlestar.

Fleet Admiral John Kronus walked up to the man who had been selected to command the _Xanthus_, "I know she's not the _Sphinx _but you have your own ship again Commander Omega."

Commander Travis Omega, formerly Commanding Officer of the battlestar _Sphinx_, shook Kronus' hand, "I'll be just as proud to command her as I was the _Sphinx_." During the Battle of Cosmora the _Sphinx_ had been nearly destroyed by a damaged Cylon Raider doing a suicide dive into the hangar deck. The result was a catastrophic explosion that crippled and nearly destroyed the _Valkyrie_-class battlestar.

"The Marines should be on here in the next day or so, and then we'll have the pilots on here learning how to fly the new craft that came along with the ship," Kronus said. He was referring to the vertical takeoff vipers, given the nickname of Asps, and the larger-than-normal Raptors that would be used for ferrying the Marines from the _Xanthus_ to whatever the destination would be. These Raptors had been given the term Commando Raptors to distinguish them from their electronic warfare brethren.

"She's going to play a large part in the Ostarsis mission; both the Marines and the Army will be using the _Xanthus_ for their deployment onto the planet. We're going to create a battle group based around your ship."

"I'll give you time to get settled in, tomorrow I'll come by and we can discuss the plans for the battle group further, " Kronus said as he turned to leave.

"One more question Admiral, who is going to be the flag officer for the battle group?"

Kronus stopped and turned around to face Omega, "We're promoting Commander Alera Cantu, and Admiral Carter vouched for her enough to convince us that she was right for the job. Don't worry Omega; you'll get your shot at flag rank one day."

"I understand, it's strange enough that I made it to Commander before I turned twenty-five," Omega said.

"Tolan has a lot of faith in you Omega, and since the attacks you've done more than enough to justify it."

_**BATTLESTAR ATLANTIA:**_

On the _Atlantia_, Admiral Tyrone Carter could not help but look at the display screens above the Command and Control Console. There had been no sign yet of the _Vestal_ or Lt. Sasser's Raptor, and judging by the stats displayed on the screens in front of him it was clear…_Atlantia _was dying. He ran a hand over his shaved head and tried not to let the frustration building up inside get the better of him. The rebuilding project had been a gamble but Tolan had felt it necessary to try to add another battlestar to a group that would probably not see others added to it. The problem was that in an attempt to get the battlestar back in service the crew of the Vestal had cut corners and now both he and his crew were paying for the shoddiness of the rebuild.

"How much longer do we have?" Colonel Sean O'Rourke asked.

"Maybe another hour and a half at most, in another fifteen minutes I may have to stand down from Condition One and decide what departments I need to shut down in order to save resources," Carter said as he mentally went through the plan he had begun forming in his mind. "We should begin evacuating all non-essential compartments at once! Have those evacuated congregate in either sickbay, engineering, the Hangar Decks and the CIC. They're designed to be independent of the main systems in case of an emergency."

"Aye sir," replied O'Rourke who immediately began to carry out his duties leaving Carter standing alone in the 'brain' of the _Atlantia_ as his ship died around him. With every drop of energy that drained from the mortally wounded vessel a piece of Tyrone Carter disappeared also.

_**OLYMPICA:**_

Aurelia Gilliam leaned back in her office chair and took a long pull off the cigarette she was smoking, hoping to ease the nervousness that had plagued her since her meeting with Tolan. Such was the case that she even decided to not attend the trial of General Alice Hyde, a trial she had relished watching from the day it began. There was a knock on the door and Gilliam called for her aide, Eli Hunter, to open it for her. He came out of his office and opened the door to reveal Governor David Rush standing there.

"Rush, what brings you here?" she asked as she put out the cigarette she had been smoking.

"You know one day you really should try to address me as 'Governor', seeing as how I am the head of the civilian government." Rush said as he came into the room and took a seat in front of the table.

"Perhaps one day when we have a governor I would want to call by that title."

"Aurelia, you should really learn to put this partisan bickering aside for the greater good."

"Funny, I thought the point was so we could hold to our way of life from before the Cylons attacked."

"You know I wanted to personally deliver this document to you, since you weren't there for General Hyde's trial," Rush said as he pulled a document out from a folder he carried.

"What are you talking about?" Gilliam asked, confused at what Rush could have possibly had in mind.

"I don't know if you're much of a Triad player, "Rush said as Gilliam began to scan the document, "However I believe the correct term here is 'Read'em and weep.'"

Gilliam slammed the paper down onto her desk and glared at Rush, "You have got to be kidding me?"

Rush fought the urge to smirk, "I believe I am not. What you are looking at is a Presidential pardon for one Major General Alice Lynn Hyde signed by one President Richard Adar. This covers an unfortunate incident at the city of Iambe."

"This is a trick! If such a thing existed then why didn't she bring it forward at the beginning of her trial?"

"This was her ace in the whole apparently. I talked with the general before I came here; it seems she was ordered by the President to break up that Iambe protest. Adar made sure she had a pardon waiting for her, all she had to do was agree to a long-term absence after her forces did what they were ordered to do. Let's be honest here, Richard Adar was not a nice man and would have screwed Hyde over if it weren't for that signed pardon she had a hold of."

"Why didn't she mention this back when she was put on trial?" Gilliam asked, the skepticism in her voice showing.

"I was curious about that so I came over here to ask her, it seemed to her that with the aftermath of the Cylon attacks that it would be pointless to hold on to past resentments and things of that nature. She knew that pardon from Adar could possibly be useful, she just waited until she felt the timing was right to release that bit of information," Rush smiled one of his satisfied smiles, knowing the impact this was having on Gilliam. He could not help it, as of late the woman had done everything in her power to become a thorn in his side as well as the Admiralty's.

"Are you here to gloat?" she said with no attempt to hide the bitterness in her voice.

"Far from it, I am here to remind you of a few things. Namely, that you have the right to disagree with the policies of my administration but what you're doing is obstruction if I ever saw it. You are hounding the military and keeping them from doing their job. You would be wise to remember that we are on the same team, even if all the players are not to your liking. Help us to survive and don't go around acting like you're drunk with power."

Gilliam knew she was in a corner here with only one course of action, "Yes, Rush."

"What was that? I didn't hear you."

She knew what Rush wanted to hear, "Yes, Governor Rush."

When Rush left, Gilliam lit another cigarette and pondered her next move. She did not want to give up on getting what she wanted, it just meant she would have to plan her moves better and keep her cards closer to the vest than she had.

"Eli," she called out to Hunter, "I want you to get a hold of Admiral Tolan on the _Colossus_. Let him know that I would like a meeting with him to bury the hatchet," she knew Tolan could be an impediment to her plans, and to make that happen she would bury the hatchet with him before he could come back to haunt her.

_**OSTARSIS, KRIA BUNKER:**_

In the Kria Bunker, hidden in the mountains of Ostarsis, Commander Bridget Woods walked the brightly lit corridors on a mission. She had been patient with this particular person but realized that something had to be done before things got out of hand. Neveah Ratliff had missed yet another weapons training session to spend time in the holoband that had been installed in the bunker back when it was built.

In a way she could understand the desire to get lost in a fantasy world, but this was not the time or place for such things. Woods never saw the appeal, but felt it was a necessary evil to keep the holoband up so that it could provide a distraction for the people who were in the bunker.

Woods found the door to the large holoband room and opened it to find that every terminal was in use. Off to the right side she saw the person she was looking for; she marched over and yanked the holoband glasses off of the face of Neveah Ratliff.

"Hey! What did you do that for?" Ratliff yelled as she shot up out of her chair.

"This ends now," Woods stated firmly in her best command voice.

"You can't bark orders at me! I'm a civilian!"

Woods fixed her with a stern look, "I can and I will, you seem to have forgotten that I am in charge here. Civilian or not you are a soldier now. The Cylons don't see a distinction between the two so neither do I!"

Ratliff did not answer right away, and Woods decided that they needed a more private area to have this talk. She grabbed the actress by the arm and led her down the length of corridors to her quarters on the other side of the bunker. She pulled Ratliff inside and closed the door when they were both in the room, locking it behind her.

"Why are you doing this?" Ratliff pleaded.

"Because there is a war going on and right now you are spending more time in that virtual world than you are in this one."

"You've got to be kidding me; I have been away from the holoband quite a bit!"

Woods shook her head, "Ensign Rigel told me that you have not been to a single small-arms training session that has been held down at the firing range. You barely socialize with anyone here besides me, and I have heard on more than one occasion that you have deliberately stayed in the holoband room when your presence was required elsewhere."

Ratliff felt totally out of her depth. She looked almost terrified as she now sat in the real world. It took quite some time before she softly uttered, "You don't understand."

"Well then Nev, make me understand!"

An uncomfortable silence came between them, broken by a sudden sobbing from Neveah before she finally spoke, "I didn't have to just service one of the Cylons, I was fair game for any of them. One of them, I knew him as Aaron Doral from years ago, took particular pleasure when it came to me. I felt so used and degraded, like those prostitutes back home on Caprica. The women who came to Wenona wanting to break into the film industry and ended up selling their bodies, their dreams crushed beyond hope. I felt just like them, and after the first few months I was at the end of my rope. By the time you met me I just wanted it all to end, to be put out my misery once and for all. Those times I wished Doral or even the Cylon called 'One' would go too far and kill me by accident."

"That is why you were so eager for me to take you with me that night I came across the house you were kept at," Woods said, the enormity of her decision to leave Ratliff there was dawning on her.

"That's right, but I did as you asked and stayed there and endured more months of the Cylons' depravity. There were times I thought it would have been more merciful if I had simply died in the initial attack."

"I'm sorry Nev, I had no idea…"

"Then when I escaped and found you again, I had to deal with the looks I got from the people here. I heard whispers that I was marked because I had 'collaborated with the enemy'. Apart from you and your crew, nobody has made me feel all that welcome here, now that the Cylons have had their hands on me I'm a scorned woman now. Do you know how that feels?"

Woods nodded, "More than you realize, after everything I had to endure with Scott after that scandal I more than understand how you feel."

Neveah Ratliff's bottom lip began to tremble and finally she started to sob, "I just can't deal with this, in the V-World I can live my old life again…" the sobs began to turn into tearful wails.

Woods did not say anything; instead she wrapped her arms around the actress and consoled her as best she could. "For someone like you," she said understandably. "There are two options. You can stay like this; a victim. You can drowned in that V-world all you want because you know that no matter what happens one day you will be forced out of it and you will have to accept what has happened. Or you can refuse to stay a victim. There is a way you can do that." Woods removed her sidearm and lifted Neveah's right hand. She thrust the gun into her palm and Neveah's fingers began to form around it. It became part of Neveah. "You can learn to use your pain for that one thing all humans know that we will one day teach the Cylons. Revenge! It's primitive but Gods know that when used properly it is more devastating than bombing a thousand worlds. The choice is yours."

Woods stood up and walked away leaving the gun in Neveah's hand. She feared that Ratliff might use the gun to end her own life but if she stayed in the v-world then she may as well be dead. She had offered Neveah a way out. It was up to her to take it. As Woods walked away she half-expected to hear a gun shot echo down the corridor.

But it never happened.

_**ATHENA:**_

"I saw you on the television today; you look nice in a suit!" Ensign Lacey Tolan said through the wireless that connected her to the cruise ship _Ventura_.

"It was my first press conference; I think the y went easy on me." Lt. Chris Alonzo, the newly appointed aide to Lt. Governor Michael Fowler, said.

"Oh yes, it's always best to go easy on a person when it's their first time," Lacey said before letting out a small chuckle.

Alonzo laughed before saying, "What am I going to do with you Lace?"

"I could think of several things, but that would require a wedding ring and a nice hotel room."

"There's always a catch, you know that's going to be expensive."

"It'll be worth it though!" Lacey said, prompting a laugh from both of them. She knew that if both Commander Artimus Bowman and Admiral Tyrone Carter, her two honorary uncles, heard her say that then they would be having something close to a stroke at hearing her talk like that. She had promised back in high school that she would wait until she was married to have sex, a promise she made to her cousin and her honorary aunts and uncles.

"Before we get ourselves in trouble with the Admiralty, how's life on the _Athena_?"

"For life on a battlestar that was ready to be destroyed seven months ago it's not too bad, Captain Merrick keeps drilling us so we don't screw up when we see combat. The CAG seems to keep wanting test me, just the other day he had me do a hands-on approach for a landing. "

"That doesn't seem too bad though, I had to do a few of those when I was training on the _Sphinx_."

"Major Chandler unnerves me though, there's something about the way he looks at me. It's like there's some dislike there beneath the surface or it could just be that I have it harder because I'm the cousin of the Fleet Admiral."

"You'll be alright Lace, just keep proving yourself and you'll be fine. When will you be able to get away from the ship?"

Lacey thought about it, "It won't be for a while, with all these drills coming up for this big operation Scott has planned I just don't know."

"Well hopefully it won't be too long of a wait," there was a pause before Alonzo said, "I have to go, but when we have free time we'll have to do this again."

"I look forward to it," Lacey said before the connection was severed.

_**ACHILLES:**_

Lt. Clint Jarvis kept his face stoic as he approached his new posting, the battlestar_ Achilles_, a relic from the First Cylon War that seemed to do the term 'battlestar' a disservice. His talk with Jupiter had done him some good; he felt he could still be of service to the Praetorium even though he was stuck on a relatively useless ship. The _Achilles_ still bore scars on the hull from damage taken at the recent Battle of Ochoa along with scars from the Battle of Cosmora over forty years ago when the battlestar was originally lost.

The Raptor landed on the starboard flight pod and was promptly lowered to the hangar deck. As much as Jarvis thought his old ship, the escort battlestar _Melette_, was rough on the eyes it was mild when compared to the _Achilles_. The ship looked as though it was serving as a time capsule of life in the First Cylon War. He had served on other battlestars, most of them of the relatively newer classes. They showed the progress that had been made since the earlier battlestar prototypes. _Achilles _needed an overhaul badly, a rumor he had heard before his assignment to the ship, but taking in the antiquated looking hangar deck he realized the rumor was right on the money.

"Lt. Jarvis!" a voice called out from somewhere in the distance.

Jarvis turned to see a woman coming towards him. Her skin was a light brown and her brown eyes seemed to appraise him as he made her way to where he stood. He saw that she had the pips of a Colonel and realized that she must be the Executive Officer.

He snapped to attention, "Lt. Clint Jarvis, reporting as ordered!"

She returned the salute, "Colonel Shauna Willis, formerly of the _Athena_."

Willis had until recently been a Lieutenant and served on the _Victorious_ until the Cylons attacked and the _Athena_ had been brought back into service. The late Commander Watts had tabbed her to serve as the ship's Tactical Officer. With the recent reshuffling of ships and officers she was selected by the recently promoted Commander Benjamin Adar to serve as his Executive Officer. It was a large jump in rank for her, but there was a shortage of qualified officers and she had experience prior to the Cylon attack.

"Pleased to meet you Colonel Willis, I take it that Commander Adar is expecting me?" he asked, wondering what it would be like to meet the youngest son of the deceased President of the Twelve Colonies.

"He is," replied Colonel Willis. "This way Lieutenant!"

"Yes ma'am," he replied as she began to lead the way off the hangar deck. The rest of the ship was not much more impressive except to a curator of a science museum. Some doors were still sealed off with yellow tape warning of a weakened structure on the other side, a result of the heavy beating the shape had taken in the course of its lifetime. On more than one occasion he was sure he spied what could only be bullet holes from when the ship had been boarded by the Cylons over forty years ago! He had seen the movie, 'Noble Cause', loosely based on the incident staring Neveah Ratliff but he never thought he would actually be standing on the real ship let alone serving on her.

_**VICTORIOUS:**_

Lt. Jessica Jennings sat in her quarters reading over the documents she had requested from Tactical. There had been an increase in traffic that she thought was unusual. Why did the _Ares_ need to know when Major Banks was going to be manning his post as Tactical Officer? Why did the _Athena_ need to be concerned with the arrival of Admiral Jonasson on the _Victorious_? The two ships were not even in the same battle group!

Perhaps she was making something out of nothing, but then again as the old saying went: even paranoids have enemies. Right now the Fleet was supposed to keep any wireless communication to a minimum, the last thing they needed was to have the Cylons discover their location. Perhaps that was why the word had come down for the military and civilian ships to jump to the gas giant Charon.

She was not going to be back on duty for another nine hours and the idea of some sleep sounded promising. It was that mere fact that her dreams the past few nights had taken her back to her family on Picon, and the reality was that they were more than likely dead. In the numbness that followed the initial attacks she was so caught up in her duties that she had never really pondered their fate previously. Now that she was settling down into a life amongst the stars aboard a Battlestar they were beginning to surface. She pushed a few errant strands of her blonde hair out of the way and blinked her blue eyes as she felt tears starting to form. Seven months later and it still hurt as badly as the day of the attacks when she heard that her home colony had been nuked.

_**OLYMPICA:**_

Kronus left the _Xanthus_, but instead of heading back to the warstar _Svalin_ he made his way to the _Olympica_. His trip to his ancestral home on Leonis had uncovered his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson hiding in the family castle. His son, Cecil, had suffered from pneumonia and was in bad shape. Time spent on the _Solace_ had made a difference and now Cecil Kronus was alive and well. Now the family had his original quarters on the _Olympica_.

Kronus tossed his two-year old grandson Arthur into the air and caught him, eliciting another round of laughter from the boy. Elena watched and smiled at the sight of her son with his grandfather. She could have let her anger over how John Kronus had treated them in the past continue unabated but she had decided that it was best to forgive and move on now that they were the only family the other had left.

"Again Grandpa!" Arthur called out, and Kronus was more than happy to oblige him again although his back began to protest to such physical activities. Fortunately Elena picked up on this and so she said to her son, "Why don't we let grandpa rest for a little while, hmm? I'm sure if you start getting for bed he will come in and read you a story."

Slightly disappointed, the boy nevertheless complied with his mother's request and went scurrying off to the adjacent bathroom to begin his pre-bedtime routine. This allowed Kronus to fall into the chair besides Elena's.

"Phew!" he said wiping off a thin layer of sweat from his brow. "I remember it being a lot easier with Cecil when he was that age." Elena smiled. "How's he doing?"

"He's getting better," she explained. "The doctor says his immune system has taken a hell of a beating and is leaving him open to infection but once his antibodies have had time to build up he should be allowed out of sickbay."

"Thank the Gods!" sighed Kronus as his head slumped back up against the chair. Even now he couldn't quite believe he had found them alive and well. He was certain that when he opened his eyes he would discover that it had all been a cruel dream taunting him about what he had lost. He had seen so much misery of the past few months that any glimmer of hope seemed to be met with deep suspicion and pessimism. The evidence that it was true landed on his lap with a bump. His grandson had apparently rushed through getting himself ready and was now waiting for a story off his grandpa.

_**VICTORIOUS:**_

Onboard the _Victorious_, Neria took her position at the Tactical station in the CIC. Her shift was beginning, it was the midwatch and on duty with her was Petty Officer Evan Hawk at Communications and Colonel Celina Cruz served as Officer of the Watch. Cruz had recently been assigned to the _Vic,_ before she had served as CAG of the _Atlantia_. There had been rumors that she might be involved with Commander Andre Graystone, the new commanding officer of the battlestar.

It was quiet in the CIC as everyone went about their tasks; everyone was so wrapped up in their work that nobody noticed her paying more attention to her work than usual. She tapped a few keys and brought up the data archive from Commander Andre Graystone's private computer. Looking through the archives she found a recent classified file with the date stamp for yesterday. Opening it up she saw detailed plans and deployments concerning the upcoming mission to Ostarsis.

Ostarsis…the name of the onetime playground for the rich and famous only served to send a chill down her spine. Thinking of the ships and people that could be lost, not to mention leaving the fate of the civilians in the hands of the Eastern Alliance pirates did not sit well with her. Jupiter had given her orders to find a way to disrupt the mission, if getting it called off then it would be even better. She had an idea, but knew it was going to be a huge risk on her part.

"Petty Officer Hawk, I need your opinion please," she called out to Hawk who promptly walked over to look at a different screen she brought up.

"What am I looking at, Lieutenant?" Hawk asked.

"This sensor on the hatch leading to starboard bow airlock is saying it's come open but I'm sure we'd have heard something about it since the ship is at Condition Two," Neria said as she pointed out the alarm that she had triggered.

"Where is the report at?" Hawk asked, looking at the screen.

"Here, let me step out of the way and you can get a closer look."

Neria stepped aside and walked over to the nearby Communications Station. As Hawk went over the report and came up with his opinion, Neria quickly put together a message with the Ostarsis plans attached and sent it to the place it could do the most damage…the moon of Ostarsis where the Cylons would know what to expect from the Colonials.

"I think it's a false alarm, if it had actually come open we'd have heard it by now. I think you should just log it in as a sensor malfunction. Considering all the damage the _Vic _took at Cosmora it's understandable."

"Yeah, you have a point there. Thank you P.O. Hawk," Neria said as she came back over and took her place back at Tactical**. **Her heart was racing in her chest but she fought to keep her appearance under control. She had to look like she was going about her duties as normal even though on the inside she was fighting a powerful urge to run. She knew what the penalty was for what she had just done so callously in just a few seconds. She found her breathing becoming harder and harder as her mind played out what it would be like to be thrown out of an airlock.

With Hawk focusing on his work, Neria went back into the logs and edited them to hide her tracks but made sure she had a scapegoat in case anyone higher up in the ranks came across what had happened. She would make sure she did not die at Ostarsis, the mission was a mistake and she felt a moral clarity knowing that she was doing all she could to keep the Admiralty from undertaking a suicide mission.

_**COLOSSUS:**_

Scott Tolan sat in the flag quarters on the _Titan_-class battlestar _Colossus_, listening to the Fleet News Service that was broadcasting over the wireless. He was still appalled at the behavior of Aurelia Gilliam, the decidedly-vocal Quorum delegate from Sagittaron. Their last meeting on the _Olympica_ had not gone well, and his gut told him that the odds were good that things would only get worse. He had on his desk a letter that had been faxed over from her office aboard the _Olympica_. He had picked it up not sure what to expect and to his surprise it was a request for yet another meeting but she had promised that this one was intended to bury the hatchet between the two of them. He had his doubts it could be done, but a part of him thought it would be worth a try.

The Cylons were bad enough, and in truth he preferred for them to be the only enemy he had. Having Aurelia Gilliam pacified for the time being would be one less thing for him to have to worry about. He might take her up on it, but for now he wanted to get the rest of his paperwork out of the way so he could relax. '_Empires rise and fall but bureaucracy lasts for all eternity,' he thought to himself with a rueful laugh._

Being Fleet Admiral did have its perks, no doubt about it, but he also had more responsibilities to go along with the nice job title. It reminded him of his time spent as head of Colonial Fleet Bureau of Ships located in Queenstown on Picon.

It was after his mission to rescue President Adar's sister and niece that he had been relieved of his command of the battlestar _Vanguard_. He spent two years overseeing the decommissioning and transfer of the battlestars _Vindictive_ and _Courageous _to the Active Reserve. Following that, Admiral Peter Corman informed him that he was being promoted to Rear Admiral and being assigned to Bureau of Ships to replace Rear Admiral Karla Rakel. The advantage was that he got to spend more time with Emily and the kids, but at heart he felt he belonged on a battlestar and when he was tabbed to take over Battlestar Group 66 and commission the _Victorious_ he ranked it as one of the happiest days of his life.

The phone on his desk started to ring, and for a moment he thought it might be Aurelia Gilliam calling him to find out if he had received her fax and when they would have their meeting. That made ignoring the phone call a very tempting proposition; then again it might actually be something important.

"Tolan," he said when he held the receiver to his ear.

"Hey honey," the voice of Emily Tolan brought a smile to Scott's face. He was relieved that he had not listened to his first thought of ignoring the call.

"Hey baby, how are you?" Tolan wondered if there was something wrong.

"I'm doing alright, there's something I need to tell you," she sounded a bit unsure of how proceed.

"Of course Em, what is it?" Tolan sat up a bit straighter in his chair, wondering what it was that she was going to tell him.

"Hello Scott, it's good to finally talk to you after all this time."

Tolan's face froze! He felt like he was hearing a ghost. He had given her up for being dead. It was a logical conclusion to make. How could she have escaped the nuclear holocaust on Caprica? Yet, here she was on the phone and talking to him. It took him a few moments to realize his mind was not playing tricks on him…Brooke Bowman was alive and was there with Emily on the _Solace_.

_**OSTARSIS:**_

The Number One stood before the old-style Centurion after it had given him the message. Naturally he was suspicious of it. Who wouldn't be? Who in their right Cylon engineered mind wouldn't? The listening post had just happened to pick up a message sent from the surviving fleet about an impending attack. Surely this was some ploy? An exercise in disinformation to draw Cylon forces away from an actual target located somewhere else.

But something was telling him otherwise. Perhaps it was a flaw in his human body? That was the only way Number One could ever explain these 'feelings' he would sometimes get. He always distrusted them because things like 'hunches' are a human quality and not worthy of a machine that operates on a foundation of logic and physics. He tried to find comfort in reason but instead found chaos in his heart. He couldn't stand the idea of being a slave to something as useless as emotion and the thought he was only made him physically sick which only ever served to anger him further.

_What disgusting things these bodies are!_

He looked at the old style Centurion with envious eyes over his metallic body and cold and calculating brain. _If only I had a body of metal instead of flesh. Then this would be a lot easier to fathom._

He had to make a decision. But he didn't know what.


	4. Chapter 4: Enemies Closer

**Chapter Four: Enemies Closer**

_**OLYMPICA**_**:**

Aurelia Gilliam heard the phone ringing on her desk and promptly picked it up, but before she could speak the person on the other end started speaking.

"Ms. Gilliam I have heard some disturbing news as of late," the man said. Gilliam tried to place it but realized she had never spoken to this person before.

"Who is this?"

An almost false laugh chortled down the phone line before the man said, "My name is of no importance."

"It would help if I knew who I was speaking with."

"Aurelia, why must you fill your mind with the inconsequential?"

"Just tell me why you're calling me!"

"Very well then, I have heard from a reliable source that you are attempting to make peace with the Admiralty, in particular with Admiral Tolan."

Gilliam was slightly taken aback by the mysterious caller's words. Whomever she was speaking to was obviously well informed thus she felt there was no need in trying to be deceitful. "A necessary evil, my actions have caught the attention of Governor Rush and right now I need to keep things calm."

"I understand your concern, as disappointed as I am with your decision."

Gilliam was going to say something when the line went dead, the man she had been talking with had hung up on her.

_**JAURON**_**:**

In his cabin on _Jauron_, Donte Solis sat back on his bed and pondered his next course of action. The Jauron was an old freighter he had bought during an auction, outbidding several scrap dealers to take ownership of the ship. In his life before the Fall he had been a successful investment broker before turning his attentions towards starting up his own business, the result was the technology giant Stastny and with it came what many would have considered an ideal life. For Donte Solis there would be no such thing. Over time he came to hate and despise the world he lived in, all his success fueled the decadent lifestyle he lived and he saw those around him living. His disillusionment caused him to consider a new avenue of his life, that of a revolutionary who could topple society and bring out a more harmonious life for the people of the Colonies by burning the current world and building a new one through the ways of anarchy.

The _Jaruon_ had been turned into his mobile base/armory, something he was sure even Admiral Tolan was unaware of. As part of a cover story he had several families living aboard the ship unaware of the secret that was contained within their home. Solis had always thought of these as potential hostages should he ever require some bargaining chips but with the _Jauron_ being registered as an accommodation ship the Admiralty pretty much left the ship alone. In the aftermath of the Cylon attacks he found those who were willing to join his cause, his charisma being able to sway many who were prone to hold on to their past lives. He did all he could to stay under the DRADIS of the military, knowing that they could easily stop him before he could strike. He had seen something special in Aurelia Gilliam, the same revolutionary zeal that had powered him for so long, and now she was falling back into lockstep with what the government wanted. She sadly was no longer useful to him, and he decided that like the rest in power she had to die.

He picked up the remote control that sat on his nightstand and turned on the television that was mounted on the wall across from the foot of his bed. There were different channels that broadcasted from the Olympica. Some showed movies, others were dedicated to news and debates. He turned his to the news channel, preferring to save the political channel for a time when he felt like listening to what the political pundits had to say. Brandy Coschignano, one of the reporters in the civilian fleet, was airing a special interview she had with Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan.

"We're not so different Admiral Tolan when you get right down to it. Like me, you are not a good person. You know that, right?" Solis listened as Tolan gave some explanation concerning his threat to destroy the _Olympica_ when Hector Alonzo, at the time the elected leader of the civilians, tried to remove Tolan from power.

Solis looked at the screen in disbelief that the man would even agree to an interview at a time like this, "Look at you Tolan, you're wasting your time and believe me, you don't have a whole lot left to waste. What's your point, anyway? You're talking about the supposed importance of our survival; shouldn't that render all argument mute?"

He said nothing else as he watched the interview; it was as though he was connecting to the flag officer who led the military. He felt like a predator stalking his prey, getting into its head to play the games that would make the kill even sweeter. When the interview was over he turned the television off and lay down on the bed.

"You're entire life has been one cosmic error, and it's an error that I will correct in due time," Solis said to himself as he drifted off to sleep.

_**ATLANTIA:**_

It had been two hours now, and the news on the _Atlantia_ was a mix of good and bad. The good was that Lt. Sasser had in fact found the _Vestal_, and the majority of the crew had been evacuated to the mobile dry dock. Admiral Tyrone Carter and Lt. Jared Vega were still in the CIC, keeping an eye on the DRADIS in case the Cylons showed up. Chief Robert Mills had devised an impromptu arrangement to allow the Vestal to recharge the _Atlantia's_ emergency batteries.

"Sir, most of the crew has been evacuated to the _Vestal_, all that are left are the essential personnel," Vega announced after receiving a report that the Raptors had returned from delivering non-essential crew and were waiting for the last of the _Atlantia's _crew to abandon ship.

"Very well Mr. Vega, send word for all remaining personnel to muster on the hangar deck for evacuation," Carter said as he looked around at the practically deserted CIC. It seemed an ignoble end to what had been the flagship of the Colonial Fleet.

"Admiral, DRADIS contact!" Vega shouted. He had manned the Tactical console after routing Communications to the workstation so he could control both from one area.

"Colonial transponders? Come on talk to me are they friend or foe?" Carter asked, though his gut was giving him an answer already.

"Cylon baseship, they're launching Raiders!"

"Damn! Alright, sever our ties to the _Vestal_ and order her to begin jump prep. We'll put ourselves between her and the Cylons. I want Vipers to take a defensive position, and land once the _Vestal _is able to jump," Carter started plotting his attack, which was really a suicidal defensive holding position. Once the Vipers had landed they would have to be abandoned and the pilots offloaded on the last Raptors.

"Sir, the _Vestal_ has begun jump prep. They'll need ten minutes before their FTL has spooled up," Vega reported.

Carter went over to the helm station and began to maneuver the _Atlantia _into position. The bulk of the near dead Battlestar seemed to crawl into a position between the Cylons and the _Vestal _like a dying animal trying to protect its herd with its last breath. Carter used the thrusters to rotate the hull of the _Atlantia _so that its widest point was facing the Cylons and could thus offer more protection for the _Vestal_ which was beginning to move away at sublight.

Carter knew the ship would not survive the engagement and he was alright with that. He also thought it best that someone stay behind to make sure the weapons kept firing so that the Cylons could not have a clear shot at the _Vestal_. The _Atlantia_ shook as the Raiders began to find their mark on the battlestar, thankfully the armor had been reassembled correctly when the rebuild had taken place, and Carter tried to decide just how much time remained until the damage was too severe and the hull would thus be compromised.

"Sir, Chief Mills is requesting permission to send Damage Control teams to put out fires that have broken out."

Carter thought about it before responding, "Negative, I want people to begin abandoning ship…"

"Aye sir, I'll let him know immediately."

"That includes you as well Mr. Vega, set all weapons to auto-fire and get out of the CIC," Carter ordered the young lieutenant who had stayed by him throughout his time as Commanding Officer of the _Atlantia_.

"Sir, I could be more use to you here," Vega tried to protest.

Carter simply shook his head before saying, "That's not necessary, we need to save everyone we can to continue the fight against the Cylons."

"With all due respect Admiral, you need to abandon ship as well."

"No Lieutenant Vega, my place is here in the CIC to make sure _Atlantia_ keeps up the fight while everyone else abandons ship," Carter fell to the floor and a missile detonated not far from the CIC causing a shower of sparks to erupt from the various consoles.

"Admiral Carter, we've lost too many people since the Cylons attacked. None of us can afford for you to 'take one for the team'…sir," Vega knew this was a lost cause and Carter simply continued to ignore him. He retreated to the corridor outside of CIC and noticed one of the Marines hurrying past, it was a man Vega recognized from his time on the Helios.

"Corporal Sylvain, I need your assistance," Vega said to Corporal Tristan Sylvain, "We need to get out of the CIC so he doesn't try to go down with the ship."

The two men came up with an idea that was part genius, part desperation, and part recklessness. If it worked they would save Admiral Carter and not face punishment. If it did not work, or only partially worked then they were up the proverbial creek without a paddle.

They walked up to the Tactical Station where Carter was standing and each said a silent prayer that they would succeed.

"Admiral Carter," Vega began.

Carter turned to see Vega and Sylvain, "Gentlemen, what can I do for you?" He looked at them with suspicion as though he knew why the Marine was there with Lt. Vega.

"I just wanted to say sir that it had has been an honor to have served with you," Sylvain said as he extended his hand.

Carter took it, "Thank you Corporal, may the Gods be with you."

"I echo his sentiments Admiral, serving under you has been a great honor," Vega said as he extended his hand.

Carter took it as another missile found its way home causing the CIC to shake violently. While Carter shook hands with Vega, Sylvain used this moment to follow through with his part of the plan. He took his sidearm out of the holster and in a swift motion hit Carter upside the head with the butt of the gun, knocking the Admiral unconscious immediately. Vega tried to catch Carter but only managed to slow his fall to the deck. The two men immediately picked up the unconscious flag officer and carried him down the hangar deck where the rest of the crew was preparing to abandon ship. By this time the _Vestal _had managed to get its FTL drive spooled up, and the Vipers were landing for the last time on the battlestar _Atlantia_.

_**SOLACE**_**:**

While Donte Solis was asleep on the _Jaruon_, Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan was walking the corridors of the hospital ship _Solace_. A feeling of unease had formed in his stomach, though he realized it was a case of nerves that he had not yet been able to shake since he received the phone call. The thought that Brooke Bowman was alive and had been in the civilian fleet for seven months before finally making contact with Emily was overwhelming in a way. He held out hope that Artimus Bowman was still alive out there with the battlestar_ Hermes_, but Brooke had been home in Delphi and he had assumed that she had been one of the many civilian casualties. He kicked himself for giving up on someone he had considered a close family friend, and would not let Brooke know that he had given up on her.

What would he say to her? He had so many thoughts running through his head, almost like how it was when he finally found the _Olympica_ in the initial aftermath of the Cylon attacks and discovered Emily and triplets were in fact alive and well.

He turned the corner into Hospital Ward F-6, located on the F-Deck when Emily was moved from the ICU. He eventually found room F-637, Emily's new room, and when he opened the door he was pounced upon by three kids yelling "Daddy!" as they tackled him. It seemed an eternity since he had last seen his kids. Andrew, Henry, and Lisa Tolan were the lights of his life and the reason why he did all he could to keep the Cylons at bay.

"Aunt Brooke is here!" Lisa exclaimed as she pointed into the room.

"Yeah, you didn't tell us she was here," Henry commented.

"Is Uncle Artimus going to show up?" Andrew asked about his favorite honorary uncle.

Scott felt an enormous lump appear in his throat that he quickly swallowed down for the sake of his children.

"We'll see in time, he's got the _Hermes_ out there somewhere at the moment and it's top-secret," Tolan said as he stood up and ushered the kids back into the room while silently wishing it were true. He closed the door behind him and saw Brooke sitting by the bed looking practically the same as he had seen her that time shortly before he took his battle group out for the weapons tests. All that seemed like a lifetime ago now even though it had only been a matter of months. To be confronted by this 'ghost' of the past sent his head and heart into a whirlwind of emotion.

He walked slowly towards her. Each step seemed to demand an enormous amount of effort on his part. She stood up from the chair next to Emily's bed and looked at him. He tried to say something but the words refused to form on his lips. Luckily she saved him from this burden.

"Hello Scott." She walked up to him slowly. There was now only inches between them and he could see her big green eyes staring back up at him. Scott's chin wrinkled as he became overwhelmed with emotion. Artimus Bowman had become a brother to Scott and as such Brooke was like his sister-in-law and as anyone who knew him would testify, family was always the most important thing to Scott. It was one of the few traits of the Basileus he had hung onto. He didn't believe that a name made a family but it was who you allowed into your heart. Brooke was there and to see her alive was a violent cocktail of happiness and sadness that Artimus wasn't here.

A year seemed to pass before finally Brooke slowly reached up and put her arms tenderly around him. Emily watched as Scott's head fell into Brooke's shoulder and he began to cry subdued and bitter sobs. It was too much even for an Admiral of his caliber to bear.

Emily was amazed at Brooke's courage as she comforted Scott. In the grand scheme of things it should have been the other way around. She was the one who was without her loved one. Part of her wanted to shout at Scott to be more sympathetic but she hadn't the strength.

Finally Scott lifted his head from her shoulder and looked at her with tear stricken eyes.

"I-I thought you…" he started before quickly correcting. "I mean I…We thought we'd never see you again."

She reached up with her hands and placed them delicately on his face as she whispered, "It's ok, I know."

Both of them felt like they were tip-toeing around the one subject they both had on their minds. It was out of duty that Scott felt he had to say something. "I wish I could tell you what happened to Hermes. I really do."

"Sshhh!" she cooed.

"We haven't found any evidence that _Hermes _is gone," he said composing himself. "I-I guess that's something."

For the next hour the three of them sat and talked quietly amongst themselves. Despite an awkward start brought on by the emotion they soon began to talk about the old days when the four of them were together on Caprica at the Tolan's holiday home. They talked about the games they used to play which often had teams of husbands versus wives or Bowman versus Tolans. As they began to laugh about the old stories it soon began to feel like in a roundabout way they were all back together again if only for a second.

For Scott Tolan it was as if the Gods were granting him a short break.

_**ARES**_**:**

Colonel Clinton Elgin Storms III, the Executive Officer of the battlestar _Ares_, sat in the office adjoining his personal quarters and looked over the notes he had written in the legal pad he kept locked in his desk whenever he was on duty. On the outside the _Mercury_-class _Ares_ looked every bit the pride of the Fleet, but on the inside it was a different story. Ares had been severely damaged by a bomb planted by the separatists Sagittaron Liberation Army. The bomb was placed in the ship's power plant in Engineering by a crewman sympathetic to the SLA's cause. The explosion crippled the Ares, and killed the majority of those in Main Engineering. Due to the cost-cutting of the Adar Administration, the Colonial Fleet decided to simply decommission the Ares instead of investing the cubits to fix the damage. A similar decision was recently made regarding the decommissioned _Atlas_-class battlestar _Sword_, its bow was badly damaged in an explosion and the decision had been made to scrap the ship instead of making the necessary repairs.

_Ares _would have taken the trip to the scrap yard as well it had not been for 'Operation Pedastal', a series of complex weapons tests that were to on schedule to be conducted by Battlestar Group 66. Along with the _Columbia_-class battlestar _Athena_, the Ares was selected to be expended in the weapons tests. Admiral Robert Lee Wilson, the Vice Chief of Fleet Operations, had done all he could to assuage the outrage that had been directed at The Admiralty by the former crew of the two battlestars. Even then Ares put up a fight when it came to going to the grave. The _Cyrene_-class battlestar _Medusa_ was at Jacobson Salvage, located in the orbit of Aerilon, being cut up for scrap. The decision was made to take the power plant out of the _Medusa _and use it in _Ares_ to get the battlestar up and running once again. It had not been an easy process and even now _Ares_ seemed to have mechanical trouble as a result of the patchwork job done to install the new power plant.

It was almost three months ago, in the chaos that followed the aftermath of the Cylon attacks that he discovered he was in the company of some like-minded officers in regards to the Admiralty and the direction they had in mind for war with the Cylons. It seemed every battle that they had been thrown into was a waste of both personnel and resources, as though the admirals were doing everything within their power to send themselves and the remnants of the Colonial Fleet on a path to where they would be destroyed in a blaze of glory.

Most of his fellow officers from the Victorious had met on the _Olympica_ during their respective shore leave and simply vented their frustrations. That all changed three months ago when one day he was sitting at the Jelani Bar in the Second Class section of the liner. A man he did not know sat beside him and offered to buy him a drink. One turned into two, then three, and after the fourth one he was pouring his frustrations and fears out to this stranger who he did not even know. The man gave him the idea for the Praetorium, and nurtured the resentment in each of the members to the point where they would willingly betray their oaths and sabotage the Admiralty. It had been a rather eventful past few months since Donte Solis had come into his life.

The Praetorium had a 'Plan B' in case they were unable to stop the Ostarsis mission. It was riskier than other ideas they had, but if it worked then they would be free from the yoke of the Admiralty. He had not consulted with the rest of his fellow officers, but he would put his idea into motion soon enough.

_**VICTORIOUS**_**:**

In the Commander's Quarters on the _Victorious_ sat Commander Andre Graystone, Colonel Celina Cruz, and Major Rockwell Alston. Alston and Cruz were two of the newer officers brought onboard the Vic during the reshuffling that took place when the battle groups had been reorganized. Cruz had served as CAG on the _Atlantia_ while Alston had been a squadron commander on the battlestar _Helios_.

"Admiral Tolan has requested that we send a reconnaissance Raptor to Ostarsis to give us an updated report on the defenses the Cylons have in place. I'm tasking four Raptors for this assignment, two on mission and two on escort, Major Alston I'll leave it up to you as to which pilots to take," Graystone said as he passed a folder of dossiers he had gathered from the lists of Raptor pilots on the _Victorious_.

"Major Banks has already volunteered to lead the mission, with your approval of course Commander," Alston said.

"He's already come to me with that, I've agreed to his request. He'll let you pick the three pilots that are coming with him and…" Graystone looked over at Cruz who passed him an updated watch list, "Ensign George Tomaszewski will assume Banks' scheduled watch at Tactical."

"Now that we have that squared away, "Alston said as he looked through the list of pilots, "Lieutenants Rachel Noble, Thomas Reich, and Alvaro Gomez will pilot the other three Raptors for this operation. I'll alert them and their ECOs to be ready within the hour for departure."

Alston left the room, leaving Graystone and Cruz alone. It was quiet for a moment, neither sure of what to say.

"Anything I should hear?" Graystone asked to try to break the silence.

"Yes, we have the grandson of a legend on our ship now," Cruz said as she pulled a sheet of paper from another folder she had brought with her.

"Who would that be?" Graystone asked as he picked up the paper off the desk.

"Ensign Joseph Stryker, the youngest grandson of Admiral Jonas Stryker. He was attending the Fleet Academy when the Cylons attacked. He was part of Lacey Tolan's group that Admiral Sakura rescued from Picon."

"We'll make sure the pilots make him feel right at home here on the _Vic_. I hope you're starting to feel that way."

"It's different, that's for sure. Seven months ago you were my squadron leader on the Atlantia, now look at us. You're in command of a battlestar and I'm your XO. It's a lot to take in at once, on top of everything else that's taken place. I'm still learning to be your right arm, but you don't have to worry about me. You knew I could do the job right?"

"Celina, the past we have…that may have played a part but you were right for the job and you're needed here on _Victorious_."

Cruz stood up from her chair, "Thank you Commander, I'll go relieve Major Banks so he can prepare for his recon mission."

When she left the room, Andre Graystone leaned back in his chair and stretched. He was thankful to have his own command, even though he was sure Tolan would be too busy with coordinating the battle groups to take direct command of the _Victorious_. He felt he had chosen his senior staff wisely, and in time they would gel as a group and prove that his instincts were correct. He had a feeling that Celina Cruz was happier when she was the CAG and able to fly instead of being the Executive Officer, it was something that every pilot had in their blood and it was hard to shake. He had to deal with it when he was moved up to XO of the _Atlantia_, and he knew his brother-in-law dealt with it when he was promoted to Lt. Colonel and assigned to the _Elektra_ as Tactical Officer.

**Dia Griene Hotel**

**Ostarsis**

A gentle breeze blew through the broken glass of the window lifting up the ripped curtains and causing them to flap slowly and near-silently. Number One sat in a chair staring out at the city before him as if the window was some work of art hanging on a gallery wall. To One it was a work of art. He looked at the burned out relic of the city with glee and pride at the work he was responsible for. Holding a glass of brandy he lifted it up and took a drink after toasting what he considered his greatest triumph.

And yet he was frustrated. On the surface it appeared that his aim of wiping out humanity had succeeded but appearances can be deceptive and they were in this case. The truth was that there were thousands of human survivors scattered across the colonies or crammed aboard the few spacecraft that survived the horror. It felt like someone had drawn a little stick man on his work of art who was mocking him for not finishing the job.

Having expected to be satisfied with the holocaust he had brought on humanity the past seven months had been filled with loathing, anger but above all an unquenchable frustration which was not helped by the fact that the Cylons appeared to be having differences of opinion more and more these days on how to proceed further. It was as if their only driving force was to destroy the colonies and when that was achieved they were left without the one thing that bound them together – their hatred.

The Cylon simply allowed the tumbler in his hand to fall and smash onto the floor having consumed its contents. He stood up and started pacing across the room pondering just what should be done with the Intel that had been sent their way. One knew what he had might be false, just an attempt to lure the Cylons away from Ostarsis and leave the moon vulnerable to an attack. It made sense from a military perspective, and yet he could not help but distrust it. His mind told him to send a force to at least investigate it, but how big should the force be?

He stopped and looked out the window at the vacant city that stretched before him; he wished his plan had worked perfectly seven months ago. If it had then there would be no need to be stranded on this moon and having to wipe out the remnants of humanity that they had missed.

A pair of feminine hands wrapped around his waist as he stared out at the ruins. He didn't even he flinch as the tall blonde woman closed in behind him and began to rub his chest erotically before she began to nibble on his ear seductively.

"Not now, Six," grumbled One.

"Come on, you know it relaxes you," she whispered. This particular Six had become his comfort girl after Neveah Ratliff escaped from his grasp. Since then she had adapted her personality to suit this role. "We should enjoy the pleasures we can get from these bodies."

"These bodies disgust me," he spat bitterly. "Everything about them from these frakking hairs in my nostrils that drive me crazy to those frakking hands your using."

"Maybe I should get you a Centurion for the night," she joked before laughing cruelly.

He turned around to face her. She was wearing a long black see-through dress that only hinted at the athletic elegance of her body. As Cavil found his anatomy responding appropriately to such stimuli he silently scorned the fact that he was a slave to these desires. It was then a thought came to his head.

"Perhaps you could help me," he uttered looking at her.

The Six beamed with a wide smile as he made a move towards her. He reached up to her face with his right hand and caressed her cheek. The Six responded sensually to his touch which was running down her face until his index finger tickled her throat.

Suddenly her eyes bulged as his hand snapped into place around her neck and squeezed tightly. She instinctively tried to push him away but he was too strong. Her knees give out and she slumped to the floor. One's hand kept tight around her neck as he followed her down to the floor. He stared deeply into her eyes as she died wanting to catch the moment that her consciousness left the body to download into a new one. It was something he never tired of watching for it mirrored what he had achieved on a scale never before seen. The murder of millions. He only wished he could have killed every man and woman in the twelve colonies this way. He would have never tired of it.

With the Six now dead he stood back up and went to the window. In the process of killing her he had reached his decision.

_**VICTORIOUS**_:

The ready room for Raptor Squadron One was empty now except for eight people. Three of the four pilots of the Raptors that would be jumping to Ostarsis for the recon mission and the four ECOs were seated in the various chairs in the room, while at the podium stood the officer leading the mission: Major Larsen 'Magic' Banks. Lieutenants Rachel Noble, Thomas Reich, and Alvaro Gomez would be the other pilots for the mission along with Banks. Joining them as ECOs were Lieutenants Gerald Kennedy, Carol Castleman, and Samuel Nicholas along with Ensign Tasia Ewing.

"Here's the plan," Banks began as he brought an image of Ostarsis up on the computer display screen, "The mission is going to involve two Raptors for conducting the actual reconnaissance and the other two will on escort. Lt. Noble and I will be handing the recon duties while Lieutenants Reich and Gomez will be our escorts. Our main purpose it to size up the any defenses the Cylons have in place as well as the number of baseships that will be waiting for the gunnery task force when it jumps into battle."

"Major, what will happen if one of the recon Raptors is damaged or lost, would the data be lost too?" Reich asked.

"The information each recon Raptor takes will be sent to the escorting Raptor as well. Whatever information Lt. Noble's Raptor has will be sent to Lt. Gomez's Raptor as well that way we maximize our chances of getting intel back to the Admiralty."

"In that case, sir, I think the only question when do we leave?" Noble asked, drawing nods from her fellow pilots.

"We leave in half an hour; I'll see all of you on the hangar deck. Dismissed!" Banks watched as the pilots and ECOs got out of their seats and left the room. When they were gone he turned and left as well, closing the door behind him and wondering just what awaited them when they jumped into the orbit of Ostarsis. There was one last thing he wanted to do before they left, he needed to make a call to the Olympica. Lt. Jamie Hamilton, his onetime ECO and now girlfriend, was staying on the liner caring for two of the four babies that Dr. Daimon Ravashol had cloned using her DNA. There had been two boys and two girls, the two boys a mix of her and Ravashol's DNA. She had agreed to keep the girls and raise them while the boys had been adopted by two families who had lost their children in the Cylon attacks. She had named the two girls Alesia and Kierra, and while it took a while for the shock to wear off Banks was beginning to think of the future should him and Hamilton actually tie the knot one day.

_**ATHENA**_:

Lacey Tolan was in her rack getting some much needed sleep when the curtain was ripped open without any warning.

"Ensign Tolan get your ass out of your rack now!" an angry voice demanded.

Tolan looked over and found that she was looking at Colonel Anton Pontierre, the newly arrived XO of the _Athena_.

"What?" she said groggily, her mind not yet fully awake.

"Didn't you understand what I said?" Pontiere said as he reached over and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her out of her rack and onto the deck.

"What the…" she said as she stood there in bewilderment at what was going on.

Pontierre looked over the confused Ensign before telling her, "Get your duty clothes on in the next three minutes and meet me outside the hatch."

Ensign Tolan began to wonder just what was going on; she was not even supposed to be on duty yet. She had a CAP later on in the day, but that would not be for another four hours. The drills of the past few days had wore her out and her body and mind were beginning to suffer for it. Did Captain Merrick know why the XO was here, and why was Pontiere coming down so hard on her to begin with?

She wasted little time in getting in her uniform and when she left the room and closed the hatch behind her she turned to see the Pontiere standing there looking at her.

"Come with me," he said before turning to walk down the corridor.

"Can you tell me what is going on, sir?" Tolan asked as she almost had to run to keep up with him.

"When I'm ready to tell you then you'll know," he said as they rounded a corner.

"Very well," Tolan said, she was still confused about why she had been roused from her sleep so early before she was even supposed to be on duty. She had done all she could to not make waves on the ship, to not have the fact that she was the first-cousin of the Fleet Admiral become the cause of resentment among her fellow pilots and crewmembers. In some ways it felt as though she was living her Academy days all over again. That when the fact that she was a Tolan and part of the family that ran the Basileus crime syndicate on Canceron caused some of the cadets to make her life far more rough than she had thought it would be.

_**VICTORIOUS**_:

"Raptors are fueled and ready for flight, sir," Chief Avis Vance informed Major Banks whenever he arrived on the hangar deck.

"You said less than half an hour Chief, it is now fifty-two minutes. What happened?" Banks asked the Chief mainly to pick at her.

Vance shrugged her shoulders, "With all due respect Major, some of the Vipers with Squadron Four came in a bit too hard on their landings and Commander Graystone wanted us to inspect the Landing Deck for imperfections that might inhibit further landings."

"Well in that case, if it came from the Commander himself then who am I to argue?" Banks said to Vance, causing both to smile.

"The perks of command I suppose, he gives an order and I salute and say 'Aye aye sir!' and then promptly do it!" Vance had served as Acting Chief on the escort battlestar _Melette_ when the Chief Jason Macias had been killed by their commanding officer, Commander Luke Hendrix. When Chief Musa Amin of the _Achilles_ had succumbed to his injuries from the Battle of Ochoa, David Bogan of the _Victorious_ had been tabbed to replace the departed Amin on the battlestar that was either called 'The Relic' or 'The Ghost Ship'. Admiral Carter had recommended Vance to both Admiral Tolan and Commander Graystone, it was enough to get her the job on the Illustrious-class battlestar.

Banks walked up to his Raptor where Lt. Samuel Nicholas waited for him.

"You ready to take a trip to Ostarsis, Prankster?" Banks asked as he climbed into the cockpit of the Raptor.

"Spider told me that I was in for one hell of a ride with you," Nicholas said.

"Really, well by all means tell me what our man Spider told you," Banks said, wondering what his new ECO had heard. Captain Frederick 'Spider' Lokrum had been assigned as his ECO when Lt. Jamie Hamilton had been assigned to then-President Hector Alonzo's office as a military liason. Lokrum now served as the commander of Raptor Squadron One.

"He mentioned a secret military base that the two of you barely escaped from, located in the Pallas Nebula."

Banks nodded, "That was a place called 'Alpha Station One' it was secret research facility the Eastern Alliance had found, let's just say we didn't get a warm welcome when we arrived."

"I see, anything else you want to share about that place?" Nicholas asked as he got settled in at the ECO station.

"Not really," Banks said as he went through his pre-flight checks to make sure the Raptor was ready to fly. While he had a brief run as CAG during the Second Battle of Cosmora, and was now the Tactical Officer of the _Vic_, he still got a thrill at being behind the controls of a Raptor.

_**NEMESIS**_:

The battlecruiser _Nemesis _was the flagship of Gunnery Task Force Two, and was the battle group assigned to patrol the area around Point Luck in case the Cylons showed up. It was at this time that the mobile drydock Vestal jumped into DRADIS range, the only question was why was the _Atlantia_ missing.

Rear Admiral Albert Morton entered the CIC and walked over to the Command and Control station, "What's the status of the contact we picked up on DRADIS?"

"We've just received confirmation that it is the Vestal," Commander Maureen Colten said as she was handed a report from a nearby officer.

"Right, well it seems the _Atlantia _is nowhere to be seen," Morton said as he looked over the initial report.

"Lt. Stelzner, open a line to the _Vestal_."

"Aye sir," Lt. Matthew Stelzner said as he made contact with the _Vestal_.

"Sir, I've made contact with the _Vestal_."

Morton nodded and picked up the receiver, "This is _Nemesis_ Actual."

"Admiral Morton, this is Admiral Carter," Tyrone Carter said from the small CIC located on the mobile dry dock.

"Admiral Carter, may I ask where the _Atlantia_ is?"

"When I last saw her she exploded into a lot of pieces, there was an accident and we lost the engine room. The Cylons showed up and I put _Atlantia_ between the _Vestal_ and the baseship. There was nothing more that could be done…" Carter found himself at a loss for words on this matter.

"_Vestal_? I thought the _Priam_ was going with you," Morton asked, wondering if there had been a mix-up with the report he had read when his task force had taken on patrol duty.

"It was decided to move the _Sphinx_ to the _Priam_ while it's being repaired, that freed up _Vestal_."

"Very well, I'll send word to Tolan and Kronus. I know they'll want to speak with you right away," Morton felt a good deal of sympathy for his fellow flag officer. Losing a ship was hard, losing one in a time of war when ships were impossible to come by was even worse.

**Dia Griene Hotel**

**Ostarsis**

In his hotel suite on Ostarsis, One made up his mind. It was best to play things safe in this case. He wanted to make sure he destroyed all of humanity and this information they had received seemed as good as any, it had to be worth checking out. He would send the baseships under the Number Four known to the Colonials as Admiral Kimmel. Four had wanted this opportunity to do battle with the Colonial Fleet again, a chance for both revenge and redemption.

One looked out at the horizon and something told him a battle was coming to this moon they were on, and if he could weaken the invading force even just a little bit then it could be the difference between victory and defeat. He turned and walked over to the desk, two files sat on top of it. These files contained information on two Colonial Fleet officers that had served as an additional source of information. Yes, Adama and Roslin were out there being pursued, but here in what was left of the Twelve Colonies there was not supposed to be any remaining units of the military.

He sat at the desk and opened the files; one contained the biography and service record of one Rear Admiral Scott Tolan. The man had been promoted by the Colonial Government based on the space liner _Olympica _to the rank of Fleet Admiral. Now he led what his intelligence deemed the largest collection of both military and civilians, a combined count of three hundred thousand people. The man had not risked his forces needlessly, and the arrival of the colony group led by General Alice Hyde had served to bolster his assets considerably. The other asset Tolan had at his disposal was a nemesis of the Cylons from the war all those years ago, John Kronus. Kronus had won the decisive Battle of Cosmora. The victory had served to bolster the Colonial forces and bring a sense of hope that the war could be won. Even now, in his seventies, Admiral Kronus could still command the respect of the people and bring a sense of calm confidence to those who were in fear of what tomorrow could bring.

He put down Tolan's file and opened up the other one. This particular one was for Commander Artimus Bowman of the Battlestar _Hermes_. In the initial attacks he had spared the life of the _Hermes _for this own particular plan, and all went well until Bowman went off the track that had been laid out for them. _Hermes_ was not in the same situation as Tolan's forces. In fact they were in rather dire straits from the moment the bombs began to fall on the Colonies. If he was still out there he could link up with Tolan and add another battlestar to a force that was formidable enough to warrant the attention of the Cylons.

He did allow himself to feel confident about his odds. Eventually Tolan's luck would run out, and he would find his supplies stretched to the breaking point. Even before that happened he had to survive to see that dreaded outcome, and One knew he had the resources to destroy that large force of Tolan's once and for all.


	5. Chapter 5: All In

_**Chapter Five: All In**_

_**Ostarsis:**_

In a flash the four Raptors jumped into orbit around the moon of Ostarsis. The nuclear wasteland formerly known as Libran was visible; a silent witness to what the Cylons had done to the system and in fact all of Humanity. The ground and the sky were littered with radioactive particles spreading an invisible poison through all living things that had survived the initial attacks. Centuries of Human civilization was wiped out in just a few hours and with it went the Human race. The survivors only represented a mere fraction of what the species once was.

"Oh my Gods," Major Larsen Banks said at the sight that lay before him. Ostarsis had been transformed from a playground for the rich and famous to a fortified prison…a very well fortified prison at that. Orbital gun platforms ringed most of the moon, and there were enough baseships present to give the most determined enemy a reason to pause and wonder if an attack were possible.

"Ready to begin sir," Lt. Rachel 'Lightning' Noble announced.

"Very good. We'll have to make long range low intensity scans in order to limit the chance of detection. Keep the passive scanners online and record even the slightest reading for analysis later. But above all make sure we get plenty of photos to show the Admiralty when we return," Banks said as he maneuvered his Raptor in position to begin the recon mission.

_**Ostarsis, Kria Bunker:**_

Commander Bridget Woods, formerly the CO of the _Illustrious_-class battlestar _Kios_, went over the daily reports that originated from the various departments she now commanded. Where once she sat in the armoured hull of a Battlestar she now occupied an office in an underground bunker behind enemy lines. She was a firm believer that the busier people kept themselves the less likely they were to focus on their problems. Whether it was maintenance work, physical training, or weapons training there was always something for the people of the Kria Bunker to do while they waited for their rescue.

There was a knock on the door to her office, when she called for whoever was there to enter she was facing five of the nineteen cadets from the Colonial Fleet Academy that had been rescued from the Cylons here on Ostarsis.

"Cadets Sophia Tolen, James Caldwell, Forrest Royal, Edward Ballard, and Alia Sabah requesting a moment of your time," Tolen said once all five were in the office.

"Very well then, what can I do for you cadets?" Woods asked. She thought that one day these cadets would make officers once they were done learning the ways of the Colonial Fleet.

"Remember when you said that we should come to you if we discover something useful?" Tolen asked.

"I do, I'm assuming that's what this conversation is about?" Woods asked, her patience was a virtue but even it had its limits. It seemed to her as though the five cadets wanted to tell her something important but not give away every detail.

"Here's the thing," Caldwell began before Tolen had a chance to, "We went exploring some of the upper levels where the hangar bay is at. Sabah managed to break through a security panel and open a set of doors that had been sealed off."

"Is there a reason why you were breaking my orders to not explore that level?" Woods asked. Her tone not icy but still getting the point across that the five of them had best provide her with a good reason.

"We wanted to see more of the places because we..." Royal began to say before Sabah jumped into the conversation.

"We were looking for a place to 'hook up' so to speak, and we knew the upper level was off limits. Caldwell's girlfriend didn't want to come with us so the five of us went looking," Sabah said, her irritation at her friends' hesitation showing.

"With everything going on, our survival at stake, a rescue operation to prepare for and you decided to go find a place to go frak yourselves senseless. Am I reading this correctly?" Woods asked, her patience just about gone.

"We found a way out of the bunker, besides the blast doors there at the hangar," Tolen said quickly as she read the Commander's body language and realized how much trouble they were about to be in.

Bridget sat back and folded her arms in annoyance. Suddenly a mental image formed in her mind of when she was a child and her father would do a similar action when she had been naughty. Although she had tried to avoid it she had inadvertently adopted his habits.

"Alright, that calls for more explanation," Woods said. She leaned back in her chair and prepared to hear this tantalizing bit of information.

"The door we opened led to a stairway that led down past what we assumed was the lower level of the bunker. When we reached the end of it we discovered an area that was loaded with off-road vehicles, a refueling station, weapons, BDUs, and survival equipment. We believe this was a feature designed so the people in here could explore Ostarsis to see if the threat had passed," Tolen said, hoping that she could avoid the Commander's wrath.

"Impressive, and that puts things in a different light. Report to Ensign Rigel and Lieutenant Evans and show them this area you discovered. One more thing, pull a stunt like this again and I will make your lives so miserable you'd think being assigned mess duty was a gift from the Gods themselves. Are we clear on this?" Woods said. She could tell by the looks on the five's faces that her message had the desired effect.

The cadets quickly excused themselves from the room, closing the door behind them as they made their hasty exit. Woods folded her arms behind her head and let out a sigh of relief. It was good to know that the hangar blast doors were not their only way out of the Kria Bunker, however they still had to be careful with this new exit. The last thing she wanted to do was alert the Cylons to their existence. The more it was believed they were dead the safer they would be.

_**Solace:**_

"Come on kids, let's let your mom get some rest," Brooke Bowman said to the three Tolan children. Andrew, Henry, and Lisa began to protest but a look at their honorary aunt was enough to silence these; being a teacher Brooke had mastered the 'commanding glare' that could force even the most disobedient of children to follow her commands.

"They can come with me Brooke, you stay here with Em," Andrea Graystone said.

"Are you sure Andie, I don't want to put too much on you with your being pregnant and all," Brooke said understandingly.

"I've handled them fine so far, you just got here so spend time with my sister and Daphne and I will take of the kids," Graystone said as the kids gathered around to go spend time with her and her best friend, Daphne Sari, who served as a medical technician on the Solace.

When the kids had left the two women were alone in the room. Emily motioned to a chair next to the bed and Brooke went to sit down. Emily took a moment to look at her friend. She was still the same Brooke having those young and determined eyes that had somehow survived the horror that had befallen them.

"What?" asked Brooke noticing Emily was staring.

"It's still hard to believe you're alive, even Scott dropped that stoic mask he's had on for most of the past seven months when he saw you were alive," Emily said when Brooke had taken a seat.

"The world as we knew it was turned upside down and yet here we are. It's actually nicer being on here than it was on the _Pandion_, I don't want to sound ungrateful to everyone there but getting off that ship was a blessing."

"How did you even end up on that ship?" Emily asked, knowing it was a possibility she was going into uncomfortable territory.

"Well when the Cylons began bombing Caprica I immediately ran out of our flat and there was the choice of either our Sedan or the Aldrich that Scott loved to drive, the blue and white one with the convertible top, and I decided to go with speed so I got the keys that Scott kept on hand and took off towards the spaceport…" Brooke said as she began to quiet down as her mind remembered the events of that day. "It was hell! There were people everywhere on the roads just running around screaming. Even the Police had given up and were turning their guns on people."

"My Gods!" murmured Emily.

"Everyone had the same idea. They were trying to get to the spaceport and by the time I got there it was just a mess of people. I could only get to about a quarter of a mile from the spaceport before I had to leave the car. I don't know how I got in." She sniffed back a tear before she continued. "Somehow I managed to get closer to the ships that were getting people onboard. At some point I looked down briefly and saw that I wasn't standing on concrete anymore. They were bodies. They were people who had been trampled to death by the crowd. Old...Young. I managed to squeeze on the first ship I could come to and as it was lifting off there was this bright flash through the windows. Next thing I know the ship was shaking before it jumped away. They had nuked the Spaceport."

Emily didn't know what to say. What does one say after hearing a story like that? It was about five minutes before Brooke asked, "Emily did Scott ever tell you about the mission he was on when he first met Artimus?"

"I've already told you Brooke, he never talked to me about it," Emily said as she wondered why Brooke was trying now to change the subject to that of all things.

"I know that they are hiding something about that day and for the life of me I have no idea why. Did you ever overhear them talk about it?"

"Once when Scott didn't know I was listening," Emily began as she realized that it was time to put Brooke's curiosity to rest, "It was two years ago, not long before Scott took command of the _Victorious_. We were at our Caprica City home when there was a knock on the door. I had come up the stairs from the basement when Scott beat me to the door and didn't know I was there. There was a man there in a black business suit, and the way he looked at Scott I could tell they knew each other before. They went into the study and began having a conversation about something that happened on Picon the year before, I let my curiosity get the better of me and I went to the door and listened in. The man's name was Keene, and they were talking about a woman named 'Galit'. Scott mentioned the _Valkyrie _mission and that Artimus had little to no idea if Galit was even alive. I heard one of them get up and walk towards the door so I made a hasty retreat up the stairs so they wouldn't know I was there."

"I wish I knew the truth of what happened, there were times when I just wanted to confront either Artimus or Scott and get them tell me what secret they're hiding. Maybe one day I'll get my answer," Brooke said firmly.

"One day perhaps, said Emily."Why is this so important to you?"

"You know that Artimus and I were together before that mission? We split up just before it because my brother didn't approve and was tearing my family apart. It was after that mission that Artimus came back to me. I want to know what changed. It didn't bother me at first but…"

"Why don't we talk about a happier topic, let's talk about the kids," Emily said, noting the relieved look that came over Brooke's face.

Brooke rose up from the chair and walked across the room with her arms folded and her back to Emily. She was tired of putting this off and on felt good to just talk about it even if she didn't learn anything new. But what Emily didn't know was she had learned something new from her friend. She turned back to face Emily who watched her with worried eyes as she reached into her pocket and took out a note. The paper was old and ragged having been folded up for what looked like several years.

Brooke held it as she smiled in an upset sort of way, "Do you remember our wedding?"

"Of course I do. You don't forget being maid of honor. Your dress was so beautiful."

Brooke smiled a thank you before asking, "Do you remember what Artimus wore?"

"His dress uniform wasn't it?"

"His old dress uniform. He never wore it after the wedding. It didn't fit anymore. Somehow we never got around to throwing it out. The day before the bombing started I was in the bedroom and saw it. I decided it was time to get rid of it. You know Artimus, he has loads of keep-sakes. I found this note in the pocket. It's signed 'Galit'. That means he got this note on our wedding day." She handed it to Emily who opened it and started reading it. "I tried to contact _Hermes_ and ask him about it but I couldn't get through. Communications trouble. She sent him that on our wedding day, Em."

Emily didn't know what to say to her friend but at least she understood a bit more.

_**Ostarsis:**_

As Banks' Raptor began to move in position to take photographs of the orbital gun platforms he began to get a strange feeling. It felt as though a finger of ice had made its way from the base of his spine all the way up to his skull. Something bad was going to happen, at least that was the feeling he was getting from this mission. He kept quiet to himself and began his scouting run, hoping that he would be able to get away quickly enough should the worst come to pass.

"Cylon Raiders incoming!" Lt. Rachel "Lightning" Noble announced. Her outburst was enough to throw Banks off-guard.

A flight of six Raiders suddenly flashed out of their FTL jumps and began swooping down on the Raptors, their weapons armed and ready.

"Right, break off and begin evasive maneuvers," Banks ordered Noble. The other two Raptors were out of range by now and the Raiders did not seem to notice them.

"Aye aye sir, beginning evasive maneuvers now," Noble said as she took her Raptor on a steep bank to try and shake the Raiders.

"Prankster, start your music! Try and jam their guidance systems."

"Got it Magic," Lt. Samuel Nicholas, Banks' ECO, said from his position in the rear of the Raptor.

"I can't shake them," Noble's panicked voice came through Banks' helmet speakers.

"Hang in there Lightning, we're coming you're way," Banks said.

"We'll hold them off," Noble responded.

"Alright, we're going to draw the Raiders away so she can jump away from them," Banks said as he turned the Raptor around and headed for Noble's Raptor. He also sent word to the other two to head back to Point Luck and deliver their Intel to the Admiralty.

"We're going in, let's get her out of trouble," Banks said as he headed for the main formation of Raiders.

"Lightning, head away and jump the first chance you get," Banks ordered and began to draw the Raiders away from her.

"We're clear Magic, jumping in five, four, three, two, one…" Noble's words were cut off as the Raptor jumped away.

Banks looked and saw two other flashes on the horizon; the other two Raptors had joined them. "Alright, let's get out of…" he did not get to finish the word as the Raptor shook from an impact with one of the Raiders. Alarms wailed incessantly inside as a fire broke out from one of the panels in the rear. The flames began to make their way up the back wall and towards the ECO station, sending a toxic black smoke into the cabin of the Raptor. Sparks began to shoot out of various panels, it things got worse the Raptor would be permanently disabled before Banks had a chance to do something to save the lives of both him and his ECO. Thankfully, Nichols was right there with a fire extinguisher to put the fire out.

"Frak me, what are we going to do?" Nicholas asked when he finally had the fire out.

"We're going to cut power cruise down to the surface. We'll fire our vertical thrusters when we pass through six thousand and take her in. When we land we'll avoid the Cylons and hopefully meet up with Commander Woods and the Resistance," Banks said as he set the Raptor on a course for the surface of Ostarsis. The Raiders seemed to believe that the Raptor had been disabled and was merely a drifting derelict.

"Will that plan work?" Nicholas asked.

"Of course it will," Banks said in his most confident leadership voice while thinking to himself, 'It'd damn well better if we're going to survive.'

_**Colossus:**_

_**War Room:**_

The members of the Admiralty were huddled around the display table in the middle of the war room on the _Titan_-class battlestar _Colossus_.

"After conferring with Admiral Tolan, we've decided that X-Day, when we begin 'Operation Olympic', will begin in seventy-two hours," Kronus announced, his voice echoing in an almost celestial way which caused murmuring among the admirals.

"What intel have we gleaned from the Raptor mission?" Rear Admiral Alera Cantu asked.

"From what we've recovered it shows that the Cylons have heavily fortified Ostarsis with both orbital gun platforms as well as baseships. Now with our plan to turn the _Melette_ into a giant EMP bomb the orbital platforms should not be a problem. Our problem will be the baseships, we may need to find a way to divert them from Ostarsis long enough for us to begin the operation," Kronus said. A large part of their success depending on turning the old escort battlestar into an EMP bomb that would deactivate the orbital gun platforms and other defenses long enough for the Fleet to begin their bombardment and begin landing the Army and Marine forces onto the surface of Ostarsis.

Tolan's mind was on the thought that Major Larsen Banks might be dead. The pilot with the call sign 'Magic', who had seemed to have lived up to that name for so long, was now either dead or trapped behind enemy lines. It weighed heavily on him; he had always thought Banks had the potential to be a great leader. In some ways he reminded him of himself when he was an ensign serving his first tour of duty on _Galactica_. He worried as well about how Lt. Jamie Hamilton would take the news, he had yet to travel over to the _Olympica_ to tell her what had happened and it was a trip he felt a sense of dread for having to do.

Tolan was no stranger to giving bad news. Even before the war he had done so many times during his time in the service. Some stood out more than others like Ensign Hélène 'Poet' Monteil who was killed unnecessarily on an operation while he was CAG aboard the _Mercury_. All the names began to merge together by now but the truth was it never made any of it easier.

'Judging by what they brought back, at least the trip was worth it,' Tolan thought to himself in the hope that it would help to put things in perspective.

"May I recommend one of us leads a decoy force far enough away from Ostarsis," Admiral Tyrone Carter said.

"That's an option, what do you have in mind?" Rear Admiral Naomi Sakura asked.

"We take six of the frigates and six of the corvettes to the Crowninshield Sector. We still have the design for the Ravashol Pulsar, we can use it to deliver the coordinates to the Cylons at Ostarsis and that will lead them to believe that the fleet has rendezvoused there. They'll jump away and the decoy force can hold them off long enough for the battle groups to jump in and begin their assault," Carter said as he directed the laser pointer to the screen where the sector in question was marked.

"Yes," said Sakura, "but as soon as the Cylons see you on DRADIS and that you have no Battlestars in your fleet they'll figure it's a decoy tactic or at the least not the main force."

"Sails!" added Tolan.

"Admiral?" asked Kronus looking for clarification.

"We could fit large reflective sails to the hull one or two of the ships to increase its overall signature on DRADIS to look like a Battlestar. It would make the Cylons think the main force is attacking?"

"My question is who is leading this force?" Rear Admiral Albert Morton asked.

"That would be me," Carter said, drawing a surprised look from the other admirals.

"Why you?" Tolan asked.

"I'm the only flag officer without a command; it would be too disruptive to pull any of you from your ships from this. I'm the logical choice for this; I can hold the Cylons off and buy you the time you need."

The whole room held its breath waiting for the word from the one man who would finalize this plan.

Kronus ordered Carter, "Get it done!"

_**Colossus, Ship's Chapel:**_

Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan sat alone in the chapel of the _Colossus_, there had been other crewmembers there but they had now gone their own ways and in doing so left Tolan in an empty room with only his thoughts to keep him company.

"You look like you're deep in thought," a man's voice said from one of the doorways of the chapel.

"All the things you could say you had to go with an old one like that," Tolan said as he forced a smile to come to his face.

"What can I say; I have a thing for the classics. Wilfred G. Parker, I'm the chaplain here on the _Colossus_. No need for introductions, Admiral Tolan, you've been the talk of the ship ever since you came aboard."

"Well," Tolan sighed, "Since you asked so nicely, in seventy-two hours I begin what is perhaps the largest military operation I have ever been a part of. Not to mention a close friend is leading a diversionary force in what I can only think of is a suicide mission. Throw in that I have to travel to _Olympica_ can tell a crewmember that her boyfriend is either dead or trapped behind enemy lines, and I get the feeling a family friend who I just discovered survived the attacks seems to be haunted by something and I'll be damned if I know how to fix it," Tolan said before letting out a long sigh.

"So what you're saying is that you've had a bad day?" Parker asked.

"Yeah, I get it when the scrolls say that the gods won't give us anything we can't handle. It's just why do they trust me so much?"

"I know I'm not an admiral like yourself, but maybe you're just not looking at the big picture. It could just be nerves and perhaps after over seven months the enormity of the situation is starting to settle in. Have you lost anyone close to you since the Cylons attacked?"

"Perhaps, but I prefer to keep my mindset in the positive on that particular topic."

"That's the only sensible thing to do at times like this. As human beings we spend too much time looking at what we haven't got and not enough at what we have. It's our nature."

"I guess so," said Tolan not really looking for a conversation.

Parker took the hint and said, "Well, if you'd like to talk I will be in the other room. Y'know, the mother goddess Athena is usually the one who answers us first. Just a recommendation."

"Thank you Chaplain," he said as he leaned forward and rested his eyes. "But it's not a God I need to speak to."

The hatch to the chapel came open and an ensign came running in, "Admiral Tolan we just received word from sickbay, Admiral Kronus was boarding his Raptor when he had a heart attack."

Tolan jumped to his feet and all thoughts vanished from his mind, "What does the doc say?"

"Dr. Jenkins says she has him stabilized at the moment but she'd like to speak to you right away," the ensign said before Tolan dismissed him.

"If I may Admiral Tolan, I'd like to volunteer to come with you. I believe it wouldn't hurt for Admiral Kronus to have a chaplain with him at this time," Parker said and Tolan simply nodded his approval.

_**Ostarsis:**_

The Raptor landed near the base of the Raynor Mountain Range in the Northern Hemisphere of Ostarsis. Both Banks and Nichols exited the Raptor and made their way to the nearby forest in hopes that the trees and dense foliage would provide them with the adequate cover required to avoid detection by the Cylons.

"Come on Nicholas, we got to get out of this clearing before the toasters know we're here," Banks called out as he headed to the trees.

"Coming Magic, just let me get our emergency rations," Nicholas said as he came out of the Raptor carrying two bags containing water and rations that they would need to survive.

"Great, now get moving before we get shot!" Banks called out and looked back to see Nicholas hustling to make his way to where he was at.

"I'd call you 'Lightning' but Noble already got that call sign," Banks joked as the two men disappeared into the thick vegetation of the forest.

"Any ideas on what do next?" Nicholas asked.

"We set up a camp and then tomorrow we try to find Commander Woods' resistance cell. That's our best move if we want to survive until the invasion," Banks said as he went ahead a few steps to see if there was a spot that could be used.

"That's not a bad…" Nicholas did not get to finish this sentence as a shot rang out and nailed the tree that was past his head. Both he and Banks ducked behind the nearest tree and readied their sidearms to use against whoever was shooting at them.

"Come out you frakking Skinjobs! I got you in my sights," a man's voice called out followed by the sound of the leaves crunching underneath his feet.

"We're not Cylons," Banks called out.

"Of course you're not, and this isn't a prison planet," the man shot back at them.

"I swear to you we're friendly…I'm coming out so let's just all be…friendly," Banks said as he holstered his sidearm and stepped away from the tree he was hiding behind.

"Magic, have you lost your ever-loving mind?" Nicholas called out.

"He's wearing a Colonial Fleet uniform, he could be on our side," Banks said quietly as he began to make his way towards the man.

"Yeah, but what if he isn't?" Nicholas hissed.

"Then you'd better be a damn good shot, or else I'll let you hear about it in the afterlife," Banks retorted.

"My name is Larson Banks, I'm a Major in the Colonial Fleet assigned to the Battlestar _Victorious_," Banks kept his arms up in the air in the hopes it would put the man at ease.

The man kept his gun pointed at him but the hesitation began to show on his face. Finally he holstered the sidearm, "Ensign Paul Stryker, I was originally assigned to the Battlestar _Poseidon_."

"How'd you end up here?" Banks asked.

"I was assigned to the Battlestar _Stryker_ as a publicity stunt, Admiral Stryker was my grandfather, we jumped here to search for supplies but the toasters attacked us. We launched our vipers and I was shot down, I don't know where's the rest of the squadron. I got separated from them and I've been hiding here in the forest for the past few months."

"Alright Prankster, you can come out now," Banks called out to Nicholas who tentatively stepped out from behind his tree, "Ensign Stryker, meet Lt. Samuel Nicholas."

"Sorry for shooting at you, I thought you might have been one of the skin jobs," Stryker said as he shook hands with both Banks and Nicholas.

"No worries, at least you weren't an accurate shot," Nicholas said.

"That time at least, so Stryker where have you been hiding?" Banks asked.

"There's a small cave dug into a nearby hill, I was able to hide out in there and avoid the patrols. Follow me, I'll take you there," Stryker turned and headed towards the direction of his hideout.

"Do we follow him?" Nicholas asked.

"We don't have much a choice, we're easy targets out here," Banks said as he started behind Stryker.

_**Colossus:**_

_**Sickbay:**_

Dr. Madison Jenkins sat her office desk and looked Admiral Tolan in the eye and said, "I believe it's in the best interest of Admiral Kronus if he retires from active duty."

"How bad was the heart attack?" Tolan asked.

"It was fairly massive; to be honest with you I'm surprised he's even alive. The past seven months have taken their toll on his body and I don't think he will survive another heart attack like this one," Jenkins said matter-of-factly.

"You don't think he could hold out just a few more days, I mean we have this mission coming up and he's needed for that. This man is not just an Admiral, he's the figure head for our entire military force," Tolan said though he knew it would probably be pointless.

"It's totally out of the question. I've looked at the workup on him and I can tell you now that he would not survive in his current condition.

He wanted to argue further but a quote from the Sacred Scrolls came to his mind, "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

"I'll start drawing up a list of candidates to replace him," Tolan said as he realized he was not going to win the fight with the doctor on this one. He could try to pull rank, but in these matters the Chief Medical Officer carried more weight on these decisions.

It seemed something was giving him advice as his mind gave him yet another quote, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."

"How're you feeling?" Tolan asked even though he was sure he knew the answer.

"They say I about died, but I think it's just an exaggeration," wheezed Kronus said with a smile.

"I have my doubts about that," Tolan said as he stood close to the bed in the ICU of the Colossus' sickbay.

"I had a feeling when you walked in that this wasn't going to be a social call," Kronus said as he realized that there was more to Tolan's visit than just a chance to check up on his well-being.

"There's no easy way to put this, I left the doctor's office and had a conversation with David Rush. The Governor believes that it's in the best interests of everyone involved that you retire from active duty," Tolan said.

"You know this feels like I'm being put out to pasture," Kronus said.

"You're not though; you've done more to save the Colonies and its people before. Your exploits during the Cylon War are legendary, and with this new danger you rose up to the challenge and kept us safe for seven months," Tolan said in the hopes that his words would have an effect on the legendary flag officer.

"I'm not going to be much help out on the sidelines and you know that as well. Listen to me; I've given my life to the Colonial Fleet and the Colonies. The last thing I deserve is to be sent into retirement again because someone thinks I'm not up to the job," Kronus declared.

"It's not that, nobody has a higher respect for you and all you've done than me. You're a legend, and you've made my job as Fleet Admiral easier by being there for me whenever I haven't known exactly what to do. This is being done simply for your health, so you can enjoy what years you have left," Tolan said hoping to get through to the man.

"Listen to me, I know my body and what it's can and cannot handle. Nobody knows what I can do besides me, and you cannot presume to act in my best interests."

"Like what you did to me after Cosmora?"

"What do you mean?"

"Oh you know, ordering me to stand down and get some rest because I was teetering on the brink of total exhaustion. Then you had the phone disconnected in my room so I would get no calls or messages concerning my battle group. Remember?" Tolan asked, knowing he had found his best weapon to use.

"That was in…your best interests and you were pushing yourself too hard," Kronus grew silent as he saw that the roles had become reversed between Tolan and himself.

"I've talked it out with Governor Rush. You'll be able to stay on as his top military advisor. This way you can stay on the _Olympica _and serve the Colonial Fleet, and you can spend time with your family. You have more than earned this, there's no telling how much time you have left and you deserve to spend it with your loved ones. You've put your life on the line more times than I could ever count and you've helped to pull what's left of the Colonial Fleet together into something approaching an effective fighting force. Trust me on this one, you've earned it."

There was a look of quiet contemplation taking place on the face of the old warrior before he finally spoke, "You're right Tolan, thank you for being the one to break it to me. I guess this means you're the Admiral of the Fleet now."

Tolan held out his hand, which Kronus took and shook, "I could defeat the Cylons a hundred times and hope that puts me even a little on par with the Iron Duke of Leonis."

"Just remember this, Scott," said Kronus. It was a little strange having Kronus address him by his first name and Scott knew that whatever he was abut to say was going be profound to say the least. Kronus had Tolan's unconditional attention. "In this war it's not enough to simply defeat the Cylons in battle. We have to survive more than anything and that is our ultimate victory over those frakking things!"

Kronus started coughing before a nurse ran to his aid. Scott Tolan took in the advice and embedded it at the forefront of his thoughts before leaving the admiral in the medical staff's care.

The torch had been passed to him now.

_**Helios:**_

Rear Admiral Naomi Sakura took a sip of water and sat down in one of the chairs in her quarters on the Helios. It was an odd thing when she thought about it, seven months ago she was a Colonel and now she was a flag officer. It was an amazing turn of events, some of it due to tragic events and others due to the faith in her shown by Scott Tolan.

The phone on her desk began to buzz, not wanting to miss something important she got out of her chair and walked over to pick up the receiver, "Sakura."

"Admiral there is a call coming in from the Colossus. Admiral Tolan would like to have a word with you," Ensign Yucel Umar said.

"Very well Mr. Umar," Sakura said and waited to hear Tolan's voice.

"Admiral Sakura, I need you over on the _Colossus_ right away," Tolan said before she could even muster a 'Hello'.

"Of course, what's going on?" Sakura asked.

"Something has happened to Admiral Kronus, I need you and the rest of the Admiralty here right away."

Sakura nodded, "I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you, I'll see you over here," Tolan said before disconnecting.

She picked the phone up and hit the button to connect her to the CIC. A moment later she heard the voice of Colonel Jorge Cordova, her XO.

"Yes Admiral, what can I do for you?" Cordova asked.

"I need a Raptor prepped to take me back to the _Colossus _immediately," Sakura said as she tried to keep her voice as calm as she could to hide the storm of confusion that raged inside her as to what was going on.

"I'll send word to Chief Drayton to have a Raptor ready for you," Cordova said before the line went dead.

"What the hell is going on around here?" Sakura asked herself. The only thing to do was get on the Raptor and head over to the Colossus to find out.

_**Colossus, Admiral's Quarters:**_

Tolan had sent the word out to the other members of the Admiralty and they were on the way, there were only two officers en route to the Colossus was not a flag officer…yet at least.

The hatch opened and in walked the person he had sent for, Commander Henry N. Haddock, the officer in charge of the cruiser force of BSG-66. Since the reorganization he had served as the commanding officer of the cruiser _Nereus_, a ship that served as the gunnery training ship. Along with him was Commander James Brannigan of the battlestar _Athena_.

"Good to see you Commanders, I thank both of you for your prompt arrival," Tolan said as he gestured towards a pair of nearby seats.

Haddock took the seat and was speechless for a moment before saying, "I wasn't told why I was brought here, your Raptor pilot told me it was classified and you would fill me in when I was onboard."

"I was also sent packing here in a hurry; my pilot told me she had no idea why I was being summoned here to meet with you," Brannigan said.

Tolan nodded his head slightly, "That's true, and we've had a situation arise. Admiral Kronus has suffered a massive heart attack and because of that I've promoted Commander Antonio Ramos to the rank of Rear Admiral and assigned him the gunnery task force. You're here because Admiral Carter has volunteered to lead a decoy force for our upcoming rescue operation to Ostarsis. That is where you come in."

"With all due respect sir, how do I factor into this. You can easily have Admiral Sakura take command of the other battlestar group," Brannigan said as he shifted in his seat, concerned from the uncertainty of what was about to take place.

"Perhaps, but I need her to serve as a sort of fallback officer in case I'm incapacitated. Commander Brannigan I want to offer you my congratulations. Effective immediately I'm promoting you to Rear Admiral and assigning you command of BSG-67," Tolan said as he produced a jeweler's box containing a pair of Rear Admiral pips.

"Congratulations to Admiral Brannigan, but what does that have to do with me?" Haddock asked.

"I need someone to serve as the fallback flag officer in case Brannigan and the _Athena_ are knocked out of the battle. With that in mind I am promoting you to Rear Admiral as well and assigning you to BSG-67," Tolan said as he produced a second box.

"May I ask for permission to speak freely, Admiral?" Haddock asked.

"Of course," Tolan said.

"I just want to thank you for recommending me for flag rank and the chance to command a battlestar. Now I have a question for you, did that Q and A session with Aurelia Gilliam do something to your head?" Haddock asked disbelievingly.

Instead of looking insulted Tolan actually looked like was genuinely amused, "Stop underestimating yourself, Haddock. Any officer, who could keep those cruisers and faststars alongside of my battlestars, from one end of the Twelve Colonies to the other, is definitely the right person for the job."

Haddock looked like he wanted to say something but did not. Tolan sensed this and added, "Listen, you are an officer trained in gunnery for the most part but you've spent enough time around battlestars to where I believe you know the tactics as well as any former pilot would know."

"May I add a word in?" Brannigan asked.

"Of course you can," Tolan said with the same amused look on his face.

"I know Admiral Carter was in command of the battle group. The thing is that our command styles are kind of different! Do you think I can pull it off the same way he could have?" Brannigan could not help but feel a bit uneasy at the thought of replacing Tyrone Carter.

Tolan's face now took on a more serious demeanor. When he spoke his voice was calm but it carried the weight of the rank of a Fleet Admiral, "I can only tell you this Brannigan. When we go into battle there at Ostarsis I want you to play it the way you feel it, not the way you think Carter would play it. We're going to go to Ostarsis, engage the Cylons, rescue the prisoners, and kick some Cylon ass in the process! Now, that's all there is to it. No more second-guessing from either one of you two. You're flag officers now; you need to start acting the part."

Tolan looked down at the two of them and thought about their careers from here on out. 'Clay to be molded'.

_**Ares:**_

"You need to do this now," Donte Solis said through the secure line to Colonel Clinton Storms, the XO of the battlestar _Ares_.

"It's not going to be easy; I don't have anyone in the Deck Division who can pull that off.

"Don't worry so much, I've smuggled one of my people onboard who can make it happen. Listen to me, I need a Commander on a battlestar to make my plans happen and you are in the right place.

"I understand that but I just don't want to kill my Commanding Officer," Storms did not have a personal grudge against Commander Timothy Nash and it felt wrong to go along with the plan Solis had proposed.

"We have to make sacrifices if we are to accomplish our goals, I have my man there to keep from offending your fine officer sensibilities," Solis said.

"Who is your person?" Storms asked, wondering just what he was going to set in motion by agreeing to Solis' plan.

"Roger Bowers, he's served on the _Ares_ for the better part of the past seven months. He volunteered during one of the recruitment drives, and he's far more loyal to me than he ever will be to the Colonial Fleet."

"So all I have to do is just give the order and he'll take care of Commander Nash?"

"Yes, and with that done you become the new CO of the _Ares_ and you will be the undisputed leader of the Praetorium. A real bona fide Jupiter," Solis said.

Storms thought about it briefly before he said, "Tell your man to make it happen."

"A wise decision Colonel Storms, I knew you were a reasonable man."

_**Athena:**_

Ensign Lacey Tolan was returning to her quarters after another grueling film session with Colonel Anton Pontierre, it was as though the XO was making it his personal mission to make her life as miserable as he possibly could. She was determined to not let it get to her, she had been through worse in her two years at the Academy when Cadet Sophia Tolen was doing all she could drive her out of the school because of the ongoing family feud between the Tolens and the Tolans.

She turned the corner to head down the corridor that led to the quarters for her squadron, a hot shower and some rack time sounded like a luxury her body was craving.

She did not notice that the corridor was suddenly empty and that there were two deckhands following her, the sleep deprivation Pontierre had put her through had somehow managed to dull her senses.

Her mind was on adjusting to life on the _Athena_ and the events that had occurred in her life the past seven months. The pair of hands that grabbed her shoulders stunned her and a hand covered her mouth to keep her from screaming. Suddenly the wheel on a nearby hatch opened and she was shoved inside the empty storage room her legs kicking outwards in a futile effort to break free.

She hit the deck hard near some loose items and debris and it seemed her body felt the impact all over.

"Looks like we got ourselves a treat," one of the men said to his friend. Both were wearing the uniform of the deck gang but had covered their faced with black ski masks to keep them from being recognized.

"We're going to have some fun with you sweetheart, don't fight us too hard though. XO wants to send a message to your cousin so you can imagine if you fight us. Might get a little too rough for you," one of the jeered at her and moved in closer.

She was fighting a mental battle to keep from not panicking. The only thing she knew was that if it came to fight or flight, she was only the position to fight.

Her mind flashed back to the various boxing lessons she had been given by her honorary uncle, Artimus Bowman. He had been a member of the boxing team during his days at Abry Military Academy and his over protective nature meant he wanted her prepared.

She put her hands behind her back and felt something she thought she could use, her hands gripped it and she decided to let them get close enough for her to put it to use.

"That's it, don't panic. It's not personal, we just need to send a message to your cousin the Admiral," one of the men said as he got close enough to stroke his gloved hand against her cheek.

"Frak off," she said as she swung a heavy iron bar against the man's hand. He fell to the ground immediately in a heap, a pool of blood starting to form around his head.

"You bitch!" the other man screamed and he lunged for her.

She took her boxing stance deciding to opt for a more balanced stance, facing the oncoming attacker almost squarely. She brought her hands up ready to strike as soon as the man was within range. She did not have to wait long until she delivered a series of quick jabs that caught him off guard and seemed to leave him stunned. One thing Artimus Bowman had taught her was that in her case speed was her best ally. She was more nimble than her big broad shouldered uncle and he showed her how to put that to good use. She then followed with the overhand right that Artimus Bowman had taught her, it worked as well as she had hoped as the man fell against a shelf and hit the floor unconscious.

Looking around she now had one man who was probably dead and another who was unconscious. Those men had tried to hurt her, and to send a message to Scott? She sat down on the deck and began rocking back and forth as the enormity of her situation began to dawn on her. Her body began to shake and even though she tried to fight it as hard as she could the sobs began to come and tears flowed unimpeded from her eyes.

She did not notice the hatch open and another man enter; she did not know that he had been watching his two friends from afar as they threw the young ensign into the room to do what the XO had wanted done. Her head was down as a hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her to her feet. She tried to fight but a fist found its way to her mouth and when the grip on her hair was released she was sent flying across the room and into a stack of containers.

"You're going to regret doing that to them," the man said as he moved in closer. He picked her up and delivered a punch to her stomach that made her double over instantly.

"Stop," she said in a hoarse whisper.

"Not till I'm done with you," he said as he picked her up and pressed her against the wall. He looked into her eyes and saw a mixture of fear and panic.

Lacey's mind scrambled for a course of action, and a boxing trick Bowman taught her came to her mind. It was a 'dirty' trick and only used by people who fought bare-knuckle. She got her wits about her and jabbed her thumb into the man's eye. He let her go and screamed in pain as his hands instantly went to his eye. She steadied herself and delivered a kick to his groin that sent to him to the floor in agony. She ran over and picked up the weapon she had used against the first man. When he tried to get up she hit him across the head and he fell to the floor unconscious.

She had survived the attack but was in pain from the blows she had taken, she knew now from the conversation that Pontierre was behind it. The XO of the _Athena_ had sent three men to assault her and possibly do worse.

_**Army Command Ship **__**Valcour**__**, Briefing Room:**_

In the spacious Briefing Room on the Army Command Ship _Valcour_, Army General Alice Hyde and Marine Corps General Otus Maxwell were meeting to iron out the final details of their joint operation to take the four major cities of Ostarsis and rescue the prisoners being held there by the Cylons.

"Going by the reports we've received from Commander Woods, the main Cylon force is located in the capital city of Daventry. Along the middle of the moon there have been auxiliary forces deployed in the cities of Branwood, Hatherell, and McCarron," Maxwell said as he pointed to the various cities arrayed on the virtual map displayed on the display table situated in the center of the room.

"May I suggest we each take a direction and work our way towards Daventry," Hyde said. She had her freedom now and relished being back in the game, perhaps more than before she was eager for the chance to be back in the field and demonstrating her skill as an officer.

"That was an idea I was leaning towards," Maxwell said as he pointed towards the eastern side of the map, "My people will take McCarron and start the push towards Daventry. Your Army forces can take Branwood and Hatherell and then assault the western edge of Daventry, we'll join together at the Dia Griene Hotel."

"Will the Fleet deploy any Vipers to provide us with air support?" Hyde asked.

Maxwell nodded, "I spoke with Admiral Tolan and he assured us that he will task two squadrons of Vipers to cover our forces and keep the Cylons from using their Raiders against us. Not to mention the new pilots who have been training on the Xanthus to fly the Vertical Takeoff Vipers."

Maxwell was referring to a new type of Viper, known as the Asp, capable of taking off without being launched by a catapult. The _Valkyrie_-class _Xanthus_ had been converted as a prototype ship for the Asps, and had been salvaged and recently put into commission under the command of Commander Travis Omega. Due to the short time before Operation Downfall would begin, a group of student pilots from the escort battlestar _Maytoria_ had been training most of the day with flying and landing these new fighters. Captain Charles G. McGrath from the _Helios _had volunteered to serve as the CAG for the new air group.

"Three days until we begin," Hyde said.

"Three days," Maxwell repeated before adding, "I think we can meet again to fine-tune our plan but I feel we have things ready. Let's adjourn and make sure our forces are ready for X-Day."

"I agree, we'll meet again at 0830 tomorrow," Hyde said as she left the room with her subordinate officers.

When the hatch had closed Maxwell shook his head, "Hard to believe we're actually working together."

"Well sir, they say the words got turned upside-down when the Cylons attacked," Colonel Jake Krulak said with an amused grin.

"Colonel I cannot help but agree with you. Should make for an interesting time though," Maxwell said as Krulak and the other Marine officers began gathering up their materials to take back to the newly-commissioned Marine Battlestar _Xanthus_.

_**Ostarsis, Kria Bunker:**_

"Commander, I have my scout group together. We're ready to leave whenever you give the word," Darius James, a member of the Eastern Alliance pirate group said as he closed the door to her quarters behind him.

"Very well, who are you taking with you?" Woods asked.

"Besides myself, I'm also taking Rigel, Tolen, and Ratliff."

Woods' eyes widened, "Neveah Ratliff volunteered for this mission?"

James nodded his head, "She's come a long way in a short time since you lit that fire under her ass. It seems she's eager to get a little payback against the toasters."

Woods felt a sense of satisfaction, "That's good news to me; I was hoping I'd get through to her."

"Indeed, what do you want to look for in particular?"

"Get a lay of the land and if you see something worth bringing back then by all means do it. Just make sure the Cylons don't spot you. The last thing I need is for the fact that we're alive to be given away."

"Understood Commander, see you when we get back," James said as he turned to leave the room.

"Good hunting out there Mr. James," Woods said as she sat back at her desk and read over the reports she had received from the people in charge of the various departments of life in the Kria Bunker.

When James left she went back to work reading over the various reports when there was a knock on her door. The other side of the command coin, in the Kria Bunker it was hard to find a person more popular than she was.

"Come in," she called out.

The door opened and in walked Lieutenant Lamont Evans, "Sorry to disturb you Commander, but we just received a Priority One message from Admiral Tolan."

Woods arched an eyebrow at the mention of that, Priority One was a sign that something important was about to take place.

"I'm listening Lieutenant," Woods said as her mind raced with the possibilities of what Tolan had to tell her.

"According to the message, Operation Downfall begins in three days. That's when Operation Olympic will begin, Commander they're coming for us," Evans said as he tried to keep his excitement out of his voice.

"Start passing the word around, in three days we begin our side of Operation Downfall and get off this miserable rock," Woods said as a smile came to her face that she could not get rid of.

"Aye aye, Commander," Evans said as he turned and left the room.

"In three days our hard work will pay off," Woods said though nobody was in the room to hear her.


	6. Chapter 6: Shifting Sands

_**Chapter Six: Shifting Sands**_

_**Solace:**_

_**Family Quarters:**_

One of the aspects of the _Mercy_-class hospital ships that proved useful was the section of the ship that had been set aside for the families of those who might be receiving treatment onboard to stay for as long as needed; in some ways it seemed like a mini hotel on the giant hospital ship. Scott Tolan walked the corridors not believing he was on a hospital ship, as opposed to the sterile white of the rest of the ship the tan colored walls seemed to give the illusion of the warmth of a home more than anything else.

He looked at the numbered rooms until he found the one he was looking for, CA-132, and pressed the button that announced his presence to whoever was in the room. He waited a moment and the door opened to reveal Brooke Bowman, who was wearing a set of pajamas that seemed a little too big for her frame, something that was obvious to her that he had noticed.

"I had to borrow these and they don't quite fit like they should, they're hanging off of me in fact," Brooke said as she guessed what Tolan was thinking while subsequently feeling compelled to explain.

"Still looks fine on you Brooke, how are the kids?" Tolan asked, knowing this would be the last time he would be able to see them before the Ostarsis operation began.

"They're asleep on the bed, seems they all wanted to share the bed with me. I'm not complaining though, it's nice to know how much they love me," Brooke said with a smile.

"It's not like you're a hard woman to love, Brooke. Generally speaking of course," Tolan said as he made his way in and closed the door.

"Of course," she smiled vaguely. "Thank you. May I ask what brings you by here, Scott? I thought you had your hands full on the _Colossus_." Brooke went to the refrigerator and fixed two cups of water. She handed him his glass and the two of them enjoyed the drink as much as though it were fine wine.

"The Fleet is deploying to Ostarsis in two days, this is my last chance to see Em, the kids, and you before so I'm taking advantage of the time," Tolan said as he took the cup of water from her and took a drink.

"Like I said earlier, the kids are in the bedroom so you if you want to check on them go ahead and I'll wait out here," Brooke said as she took a seat in a nearby chair.

"Thank you Brooke, for everything I mean," Tolan said with a smile as he entered the bedroom.

Brooke just smiled in acknowledgement. She was the one who was grateful. She felt grateful that somehow she had begun to recover at least part of her family from before the fall of the colonies.

He entered the room and saw Andrew, Henry, and Lisa sleeping soundly in the large bed that they were sharing with their honorary aunt before he had arrived. He pulled a chair up and sat there looking at his three children, the four year old triplets he and Emily had brought into the world. Henry had his Caprica Buccaneers blanket wrapped around him, a gift from Brooke when she and Emily had gone to one of the games. Lisa was asleep with her arms around a teddy bear that had been a gift from his mom. She told him it had been his brother Andrew's when he was little and she wanted it to go to Lisa. Andrew was asleep with the peaked Battlestar _Hermes_ BS-58 hat that Artimus Bowman, Brooke's husband and the triplets' honorary uncle had given him during one his last shore leaves on Caprica.

"Goodnight you three angels," Tolan whispered to his three children. He thought of all the conversations he had with the gods from the moment the Cylons attacked, all the deals he had made if only his wife and kids could be spared the cruel fate that befallen so many. He tried to make sense of it, to understand what had happened and why it happened in the first place.

Lisa stirred ever so slightly but seemed to settle down. He always told Emily that Lisa had her hair and his smile. His mind thought ahead to the day when she would be fully grown, and he'd walk her down the aisle on her wedding day,

He had believed that Andrew was likely to go off to the Academy and become a Viper pilot like him or a Raptor pilot like Artimus; they had always been particularly close to the point where Andrew talked about serving on Hermes one day. Tolan shook his head at the thought that Artimus was already weaving a spell on one of his sons, may the Gods help him if Andrew had told him he wanted to attend Abry Military Academy. That would not happen though, not with the nuclear holocaust that had taken place seven months ago.

Henry seemed likely to become an engineer or do something with engines, he seemed to be fascinated with them from the moment he could walk and get his hands on something to take apart. The boy had an endless curiosity and seemed to want to know how everything worked and if he could somehow find a way to put it back together. Flying was Andrew's domain while Henry's was in making things work. Perhaps a future CAG and Deck Chief in the making he thought which put a smile on his face.

The memories of showing his kids off to his friends, they had always a source of pride and joy. He was fighting this fight for them as much as anyone else. He wanted them to live to grow up and live their dreams. He thought back to one of the last vacations he and Emily had taken; it was to Scorpia for paragliding. Both Artimus and Brooke told him that if they went to the Demeter Jungle that they might discover some wildlife. Emily could not help but laugh when he had told their friends that they had discovered wildlife in the time since the triplets were born.

Not wanting to let his emotions get the better of him, Tolan got out of his seat and left the bedroom. Closing the door behind him he made a silent promise to make sure he stayed alive so that they would not grow up without their father.

"Are they still asleep?" Brooke asked. She had not left her seat and in fact had been waiting to get the Fleet Admiral alone.

"Yes they are; it was good to see them. Reminded me of what I'm fighting for," Tolan said as he started for the door.

"Wait Scott, could you please sit down. There's something I'd like to talk to you about," Brooke had gotten up from her chair and move to a small two-seat sofa. She patted the cushion beside her and waited.

"Sure Brooke, what would you like to talk about?" Tolan asked as he took the seat beside her and looked her in the eye as he waited to hear what was on her mind.

"It's about this mission, I just want to know why you're doing this," Brooke said as she turned around to where she faced him.

"We were fortunate enough to escape the Cylon attacks, but it's important that we get as many people out of their clutches as we can. I cannot in good conscience let them stay there on Ostarsis and not give them a chance to escape, they can't hold out forever and the Cylons will eventually discover them."

"It's not just about Bridget?" Brooke asked.

Tolan was caught off-guard, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Emily and I have talked about her, I know there's a history between the two of you and it's not all plutonic or professional. Are you doing this because you love her?"

"It's not like that, Bridget is someone I will always care about and that's not changing. I'm thrilled she's alive and I want to rescue her but it's not just about her."

"Are you sure?" she asked in a way that offered him amnesty if he chose to open up to her now.

"Yes," he said softly but firmly. "Bridget is…one of my closest friends. But I would never risk the lives of those under me for personal reasons. I couldn't live with myself. I –"

Scott's words were cut off by the discovery that they were no longer alone. Brooke looked over to find a rather sleepy Lisa standing in the doorway rubbing her tired eyes.

"Hey you," said Brooke. "What are you doing up?"

"Can't sleep," murmured the young girl.

"Why don't you come sit with us for a bit?" said Tolan shifting up to make room for her between him and Brooke. Lisa seemed to drag her feet as she slithered over to them and climbed up on the sofa. "Now then Aunt Brooke," said

Scott playfully. "Why can't Lisa sleep I wonder?"

"Hmm? Scary monsters perhaps?"

"Is that it Lisa?" asked Scott to which the small child grinned and tried to hide her head under Brooke's left arm.

"I know what it is," said Brooke. "She wants cuddles."

Tolan smiled as Lisa and Brooke cuddled up to one another and Brooke quietly began to sing to her;

_Close your eyes, go to sleep _

_Baby's in the cradle counting sheep_

_Climb up to your house of dreams_

_Baby's in the cradle fast asleep ..._

Lisa was soon asleep once more.

"Thanks Brooke you're amazing," Tolan whispered to her.

She smiled at him, "I always did have a way with children."

Tolan stood up and picked up his daughter to take her back to bed. He gently set her down and pulled the covers over her.

When he walked out Brooke was waiting for him at the door.

"So I take it that this is goodbye?" she asked.

"Yeah I'm afraid so, I need to go see Em and…" he paused not wanting to say 'Goodbye', "talk to her before I leave for my ship. It won't be long until the fleet leaves for Ostarsis."

"If you find my husband while you're out there be sure to send him my way," she said with a smile as she walked over and put her arms around Tolan.

"I promise I will Brooke, if Artimus is out there I'll find him and bring him back to you."

"Do that and while you're out there make sure you take care of yourself. Before the Pandion was discovered I thought you were lost and I wouldn't find you again."

Tolan sensed that she wanted to say something else but he waited until she was able to add whatever it was she was thinking.

"I thought I had lost all of you once and that was bad enough, I don't want to lose you a second time."

Tolan leaned over and kissed her on the forehead, "I'm coming back from this. Seeing Em, the kids, and you reminds me of why I put this uniform on and do what is required of me. I know what could happen to me out there, but I promise I'll do all I can to make sure I come back."

"Thank you," Brooke said as she opened the door for Tolan to exit the room.

Without a word Tolan left the room and began to make his way down the hallway. He was wanting to see Emily and the thought that this could be the last time they saw each other weighed on his mind. He might not have been a big fan of it but it was the reality of his life not only as an officer in the Colonial Fleet but also as a Fleet Admiral.

_**Victorious:**_

Lieutenant Jessica Jennings was starting to wonder if she was simply wasting her time but something told her to keep looking at the reports she had gathered. On the surface they were nothing special, but when she looked at them more she began to wonder if there really was something going on with the communications traffic.

It seemed as though all of the reports had one thing in common, the _Jauron_. The Virgon registered freighter doubled as an accommodation ship as well as a supply ship for the civilian fleet. It had been in regular contact with the _Athena_, _Achilles_, _Ares_, and even the _Victorious_. She had tried to read the original reports only to find that they had been encrypted to keep them from being accessed.

That had served to set off her curiosity; something told her that there might be some kind of code hidden in the reports. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing since given the number of Battlestars the ship was in communication with it was likely she had stumbled on some kind of secret communications between the Commanders controlled by the Admiralty. She rubbed her tired blue eyes and let out a yawn. Her watch in the CIC would be here before she knew it and she was no good to the crew and Commander Graystone if she was too tired to do her job properly.

She took one last look at the computer screen the communications reports were being decrypted on. Ensigns Nicole Clark, Elizabeth Riley, and Jared Simons from Tactical had come up with a computer program that they believed would undo whatever encryption had been applied to the reports. The one thing they assured her of was that it was not a Colonial Fleet program.

She had wanted to go to Commander Graystone with this information but first she wanted to know what she had stumbled upon, perhaps when she was done with her watch was over she would have the answer she was looking for. She began to feel safe in knowing that nobody else in Tactical had inkling as to what was going on, Jennings made sure her partners-in-crime were sworn to not tell a soul unless they wanted to be transferred to a decidedly unpleasant duty.

_**Athena, Officers Wardroom:**_

"My squadron just finished their training exercises, I think they'll be read for combat when we jump to Ostarsis," Captain Chiuske Shimomura, the squadron leader of Viper Squadron One, said to the group of squadron leaders assembled in the wardroom for this meeting.

"Squadron Two could use a little more time, I think my pilots have already proven themselves but perhaps a little more practice couldn't hurt," Captain Goronwy Owen said to the group.

"Squadron Three is going to take some time to work up," Captain Simone Merrick said as she mentally checked the notes she had taken on her group of rookie pilots.

"It would seem you're the only one here with a new squadron though," Captain Lucy Marston said.

"That's true; we might want to spend more time making sure your squadron is ready. I'll give you the next two days to use the starboard flight pod for landing exercises; I want you to get your pilots up to speed as quickly as possible. The last thing we need is to send a group of nuggets to be slaughtered by the toasters," Major Jeremy Chandler, the CAG of the _Athena_, said.

_**Athena, Small Weapons Locker:**_

Ordnance Loading Specialists Nancy Rodgers, Ahmad Aslam, Ansgar Broholm, and Madeline Howard had just finished their shift on the hangar deck and were ready to call it a night.

"How do you think the Chief is enjoying this?" Aslam asked his three fellow specialists.

"I'm sure he's having a great time there. He's only got to get the Vipers and Raptors ready in a little less than three days before jumping to a heavily defended moon where we will do battle with the Cylons…you were right Maddy there's no reason for him to be on edge," Broholm said, drawing a chuckle from the group.

"I wonder if he was like this when he was on the _Helios_," Rodgers wondered out loud.

"We all came from _Victorious_ so I don't think any of us would know," Aslam said. None of them had served with Chief Desmond Walker until they had been transferred to the _Athena _upon the decision to bring the veteran battlestar back into active service.

"That hatch shouldn't be open," Howard said as she noted a hatch what was slightly ajar up ahead of the corridor they were on.

"That's strange, somebody could get in trouble for that," Rodgers said as she sprinted ahead and close the hatch before anyone might notice. She looked inside and froze at what her eyes beheld.

"What's the matter Maddy, you look like a statue," Broholm said as he jogged up to where Howard was standing. When he looked in he had the same reaction that she had.

Aslam and Rodgers shared a glance and went to where their friends were standing. They looked in and saw three men unconscious, one of whom had a nasty wound on his head, and a fair amount of blood on the deck.

"What happened here?" Rodgers asked.

Aslam looked around and noticed a figure crouched in the corner of the room with her hands clutching what looked like a heavy object.

"Who is she?" Broholm asked.

Aslam looked and made out her rank insignia, she was an officer! He walked up to her and tried to get her attention, "Ensign are you alright? What happened here?"

"I don't think she heard you Ahmad," Howard said as she finally seemed to shake her mental fog.

The three stepped closer but Aslam turned to them, "Don't come any closer. There's no telling what she might do if all of us get too close to her. Go get the Master-at-Arms and a medic; it looks like someone tried to assault her. I'll stay here in case she says something or gets up to move."

"Maybe I should stay here with you in case whoever did this comes back with more guys?" suggested Broholm.

"No, I'll be fine, just go, now!"

"Alright, we'll be back as soon as we can," Broholm said and the three left the room.

"I'm Specialist Ahmad Aslam; I work on the hangar deck. My friends went to get some help, I'm going to stay here with you until they get back," Aslam said and when the young officer did not respond to him he simply stood off to the side but did not get much closer to her.

He wanted to say something to her but was not sure what exactly so he went with the obvious, "I'm not here to hurt you, I just want to keep you company until help arrives," he observed some of the bruising on her face and neck. It looked like the men in the room must have landed some decent blows to her.

"Thank you…" the woman said weakly.

"You're welcome, what's your name Ensign?"

There was a brief pause before she mumbled, "Lacey…Lacey Tolan."

Aslam knew that last name, and if it was the same spelling as he thought it was then there was no doubt that she was related to the Admiral of the Fleet. They had all heard the rumors that Admiral Tolan's cousin was assigned to the _Athena_, but yet here she was and it looked as though a group of deckhands had tried to assault her.

"Well Ensign Tolan, nobody here is going to try to hurt you. I'll make sure of it," Aslam said with a smile as he stood there and waited for help to arrive.

Almost thirteen minutes later Sergeant Angelo Sanna arrived with Lieutenant Georgina Allen from the medical department.

_**Victorious:**_

Neria was standing her watch at Tactical, the news had begun to reach those in the Colonial Fleet that in less than two days they would begin the rescue mission to Ostarsis. She felt the need to count her blessings, _Victorious_, along with three other vessels and the Eastern Alliance baseship, was to stay behind to guard the civilians while the rest of the military was to jump to the Libran moon in order to rescue the prisoners that been kept there by the Cylons for the past seven months.

Mentally she shook her head though; she had become convinced that Admiral Tolan would not have ordered the mission if it were not for the fact that it was Commander Bridget Woods who trapped down there with no chance of escape. She had served on _Victorious_ shortly before Woods had taken command of the battlestar _Kios_. Even then she sensed closeness between Tolan and Woods. Most attributed it to a strong friendship but she had always felt there was more to it than that. There was electricity between them that often felt tangible to those who saw them.

She may not be able to stop the operation from taking place, but she could do something to make life for the Admiralty a bit more complicated. She was walking a dangerous line. At what point does espionage become sabotage? What if she took things too far than she threatened the safety of the fleet, and that would border on the edge of madness. She just had to wait for the right moment and act on it when the moment arrived.

About ten minutes later she had a chance when a communication for Commander Andre Graystone arrived from the battlestar _Colossus_. Lieutenant Jessica Jennings printed out the message to deliver it by hand to Graystone, Neria thought it might have to do with the sensitive nature of the document.

She quickly used her computer knowledge to hack into the Communications Console from her place at Tactical; she put together a list of the military plans for Ostarsis and other related material. Among them, just to embarrass Tolan a bit, was a history she had compiled based on the rumors she had heard about Tolan's relationship with Bridget Woods and how it would serve as the reason for such a risky military endeavor. In less than a minute the report was sent to the Wireless News Network that was headquartered on the _Olympica_.

By the time Jennings had returned from delivering her message to Commander Graystone, Neria had hidden her tracks enough to where nobody would suspect what had happened. If someone managed to look through her subterfuge and discover that someone had sent that report to the press corps it would show that it had been sent from the Communications Console of the Victorious, naming none other than Jessica Jennings as the culprit. It was not her first choice for who to blame for a security leak, her first choice had apparently been shot down on Ostarsis during a recon mission so she simply had to make do with the best option available, and with Major Banks out of the picture Lieutenant Jennings would have to do.

_**Jauron: **_

On his ship, Donte Solis could not help but be pleased with the recent events. Neria had sent him the message telling him what she had done and he had to admit that the officer was proving her worth to him time and again. She had just blown the cover off of the rescue mission to Ostarsis and managed to inject a bit of scandal into the fray by bringing up the history between Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan and Commander Bridget Woods.

"Even if you deny it now Tolan, it's going to be there in the backs of everyone's minds what you did with her all those years ago," Solis said feeling absolutely giddy.

It seemed the press was already deluging the offices of Governor David Rush, Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler, and the Quorum of Twelve with questions concerning Ostarsis. The question of Tolan's competency even came into review, which delighted him to no end.

So far Governor Rush had yet to announce a press conference, while Lieutenant Governor Fowler had one scheduled to begin in half an hour. Following that would be a press conference by Aurelia Gilliam, the Sagittaron delegate to the Quorum. Solis hoped that she would deliver a fire and brimstone condemnation of Tolan which would help to turn the tide of public opinion against the flag officer and the military.

He turned to the channel that would broadcast the press conferences as they took place, all he was missing was a large bag of popcorn to enjoy the show with but in this time of hardship the people had to make sacrifices.

_**Ventura:**_

"Can the Lieutenant Governor respond to reports of an upcoming military operation?" Albany Wade asked. The former reporter with the Delphi Chronicle had been the first of the group of reporters to thrust their hand into the air.

"As Lieutenant Governor Fowler has stated previously he cannot possibly comment on any operation being conducted by the military in a time of war no matter how big or mundane," Lieutenant Chris Alonzo said calmly. No longer on active duty with the Colonial Fleet, he now served as the Chief of Staff for Lieutenant Governor Michael Fowler.

"Have there been any reports or statements planned from Governor Rush?" Tamara Brenner, formerly of the Queenstown Telegraph on Picon, asked.

"Governor Rush has already spoken to Lieutenant Governor Fowler and both have spoken of the need to get a statement out as quickly as possible on this matter," Alonzo stated. Truth was that the civilians were not to know about Operation Downfall, especially Operation Olympic, until moments before the attack was to commence. The reasoning was that the Cylons could have infiltrated the fleet somehow. The fact that the news of the impending attack had been leaked meant that somewhere in the Colonial Fleet there was someone who might have put the whole operation in danger.

"Why the need for all this secrecy, does it not send the wrong impression about the military in this matter?" Montague Burke, former host of the 'Good Morning Hades' show on Canceron, asked.

"As you know, right now we are in a state of war with the Cylons. It is viewed as a prudent maneuver to keep as little information as possible revealed so that we are not compromised," Alonzo said feeling like a broken record.

"It seems to be that the military is putting our lives at risk with this foolish mission. The Admiralty seems more worried about fighting the Cylons than they are about keeping the civilian population safe," Burke pressed as though he seemed to be trying to set Alonzo up to say something that would provide a sensational sound bite.

There was a rush of movement as the curtain behind the podium parted and Michael Fowler walked up and motioned for Alonzo to step away.

"I am ending this press conference until we are able to give a more appropriate response at this time," Fowler said as he turned and walked away with Alonzo following him.

When the curtains had closed and they were in an adjoining office space, Fowler closed the door and looked at Alonzo, "Good work out there Chris. I have to tell you though; I don't think they'll be satisfied until they have a story that will make us look like a bunch of idiots!"

"I got that impression as well; I don't know what happened to set this whole thing off. I have a hard time imagining who would endanger the rescue mission to the point that they would reveal classified information to the press," Alonzo shook his head disbelievingly at the thought.

"I imagine Tolan and the Admiralty will want this handled as soon as possible," Fowler stopped when he heard the phone ring. He mentioned letting the Admiral know as soon as possible before he set the phone back down onto its cradle.

"What's the matter?" Alonzo asked, seeing the concerned look in Fowler's eyes did not put him at ease.

"There's been an incident onboard the _Athena_. It seems three men tried to assault Lacey Tolan, they found her in a weapons locker with them, one is dead and the other two are in critical condition. Lacey is in the Athena's sickbay being examined by the physicians there, she's banged up a bit but it looks like the fended them off. I'm sure Admiral Tolan is being informed of this now, if you'd like I can arrange a shuttle to take you to the Athena so you can see her."

Alonzo was already out of his chair and seemed ready to bolt out of the door before he stopped, "If you'd please do that, I'd be grateful to you! I'll just stay here until you know the shuttle is ready. Gods, I hope she's alright!"

_**Athena, Executive Officer's Quarters:**_

The officer in the XO's quarters was not amused, he had heard the reports of the attack on Ensign Lacey Tolan and he had a feeling that the man he had come here to see had been the one behind it. The moment he had asked the man if his suspicions were correct and he had been told that they in fact were.

"You were not authorized to go after her," Saturn said as he paced the room in an attempt to work out the energy he had coursing through his body.

"It had to be done, I wasn't going to wait for Solis to give me permission to take care of her," Orais said to his fellow member of the Praetorium.

"We could have turned her to our side; Ensign Tolan would have been an asset to our cause. She could have been used to throw off Admiral Tolan and keep him confused. He's already in a daze over finding his best friend's wife alive in the fleet. Turning her against her cousin would have given us an edge when we finally made our move."

Orais, otherwise known as Colonel Anton Pontiere, shook his head in disagreement, "Ever since that incident with the _Olympica_ I have lived with the fact that Admiral Tolan embarrassed me in front of the CIC crew. I couldn't let an opportunity pass me by; I was going to what I felt needed to be done until my issue with the Admiral was corrected. The debt due to me was real, any those deckhands Solis place onboard made sure that it was paid."

Saturn shook his head, "You're ranting like a mad man, and you risked all of our work just to deal with a petty grudge against our common enemy."

"Tolan humiliated me in front of everyone because I would not target a civilian ship with the _Victorious'_ guns and for that he essentially called me a coward and threatened to throw me into the brig."

Saturn shook his head, "So there's no way to change your mind on this?"

"None whatsoever, Solis will just have to live with the consequences of my actions. If it unmasks us then we can finally be through with this cloak-and-dagger life we've led for the past few months."

Saturn walked up to the man who served as the XO of the _Athena_ and delivered a quick blow to the solar plexus, sending the man to the floor in obvious pain. He picked Pontiere up by his uniform and sent him into a nearby chair. While Pontiere was stunned, Saturn retrieved a letter opener from the desk and walked over to where the XO was seated.

"I'm sorry about this but I can't allow exposing us," Saturn said as he plunged the letter opener into the man's right wrist and slid the blade downward.

Pontiere tried to grab hold of his wound with his opposite hand in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding but the red liquid of life just seeped through his fingers. As Colonel Anton Pontiere fell to the floor and began to bleed to death Saturn went to the computer on the desk and began to type out a suicide letter. With that done he went outside of the hatch and turned a nearby corridor to wait until he thought enough time had passed. He would enter the room and pick up the letter opener so that his finger prints could be explained in case there was an inquiry into the incident.

_**Solace:**_

Tolan found the door to his wife's room open and he knocked before walking in. Emily Tolan was sitting up in her bed reading a book; he did not get to see the name of it before she had put the book down onto her lap.

"Hey baby, how are you feeling?" he asked as he pulled a chair up to the side of her bed.

"I'm doing better honey, it's good to see you," Emily said as she leaned over and kissed her husband on the lips.

"I just left the room the children and Brooke have been staying in," Tolan said.

"They ask about you a lot. They miss their father," Emily said with a sad smile showing on her face.

"Not as much as I miss them, and you too Em."

"You're cute when you're trying to be charming," she said.

"Who said I was trying, I thought I was naturally charming," Tolan said with hopes that he could lighten the mood. It failed however and her experienced eyes saw the look on his face and she immediately knew what was going on inside his mind.

"You're really going through with it aren't you?"

"Yes I am and it's something that's got to be done Em. I can't just stay on the sidelines here; this war needs me out there on the front leading my people into battle. Even so, I cannot abandon those people on Ostarsis to whatever depravations the Cylons have in store for them. I owe it to them to get them out of there where they can at least have a chance to survive," Tolan had a feeling that Bridget Woods was going to come up in the conversation yet again.

"Admiral Tolan please report to the Nurses' Station," a woman's voice called out over a nearby loudspeaker.

"Duty calls, just come back and say goodbye before you fly back to your ship," Emily said as she gave her husband's hand a squeeze.

Tolan nodded and made his way down the corridor to where the Nurses' Station was located. The woman recognized him and handed him the receiver.

"Tolan," he said as soon as he put the receiver to his ear.

"Admiral, this is Lieutenant Spencer Clements, Colonel Storms wanted me to inform you that there's been an accident involving Commander Nash here on the Ares."

This was something he could not even begin to fathom but he managed to get his thoughts together, "What happened?"

"Admiral Brannigan had requested a meeting of the battle group's battlestar commanders, Commander Nash had been in the process of boarding the Raptor when there was an explosion. He was thrown against a nearby bulkhead by the blast and was rushed to sickbay. Admiral Brannigan has put Colonel Storms in charge of the ship; he wanted you to know right away what had happened."

"Thank you Mr. Martin, let Colonel Storms know that the Admiralty has total faith in his ability to command the Ares through this troubled time," Tolan said before he gave the receiver to the nurse.

He turned and began to make his way down the corridor when he heard the phone ring again, not thinking it was for him he kept walking back towards Emily's room, and then once again he was paged back to the Nurses' Station.

As before, he picked up the receiver and once it was to his ear he announced that he was on the line.

"Admiral Tolan, sorry to disturb you, I'm Dr. Darla Rosario and I'm the Chief Medical Officer here on the _Athena_," Rosario said with a slight bit of reluctance to her voice.

"I'm listening," Tolan said as his thoughts immediately went to Lacey.

His worst fears were confirmed shortly thereafter when Rosario said, "It's about your cousin, Lacey Tolan, I regret that I have to inform you that earlier today she was attacked in one of the small weapons locker. She managed to fend the attackers off but she took some serious blows as well, we have her here for observation until she's more alert and able to respond to our questions. I think you need to get over here as quickly as you can."

"I'm on the way, don't let anyone besides authorized personnel near her," Tolan said as he quickly handed the phone back and took off down the corridor again. He was going to have to make it a quick goodbye with Emily, his stomach was churning with concern and he felt a sense of dread fill his mind as to what might have happened to Lacey and why she was even targeted for an attack.

When he walked back into the room he knew that Emily could tell by the look on his that something was wrong.

"What is it Scott?" she asked with a shrill voice that was full of concern.

"There was an accident on the _Ares_, Commander Nash has been injured," Tolan began as he tried to put the next part into some kind of coherent thought.

"That's terrible! I can tell it hit you hard," she said. "But that's not all is it? What?"

"That's not just it baby…Lacey was attacked on the Athena, she's in Sickbay now. I have to get to her Em."

"I understand that you need to be there with her. I'd be there with you but the doctors won't let me out just yet."

Tolan walked over and kissed her on the lips, "I love you Emily."

"I love you Scott, go check on Lacey and I'll be right here waiting on you."

_**Solace, Shuttle Bay: **_

Lieutenant Trevor Tatham, the Raptor pilot assigned to carry the Admiral of the Fleet from the Colossus to his destinations, noticed that Admiral Tolan was not his usual self. The flag officer had told him to head to the _Athena _and that was about it. Now the man was sitting there in the back looking as if his body was in the Raptor but his mind was decidedly somewhere else. It was not his place to pick the mind of Scott Tolan, all he had to do was deliver him to his destination and speak if spoken to. The thought hit him all of a sudden; he was reminded of his hometown of Marlborough back on Leonis. He was sort of like the taxi drivers there at the Lewis F. Davis Spaceport on the outskirts of the city.

_**Solace, Room CA-132**_

Brooke Bowman took a sip of water and looked at the picture, how cruel was the hand that the Cylons had dealt. Here she was safe, at least as close to safe as a person could be under the circumstances, and yet she worried about the man in the picture she looked at. The picture was taken on Caprica Beach during one of the times when Artimus Bowman, her husband, as well as Scott and Emily Tolan were able to spend time together. She remembered that Scott was nursing a wounded arm, a 'flesh wound' as he put it, that he had received after being caught in the crossfire between a rival gang and the Basileus during his last trip to Canceron.

Emily had taken the picture she was now looking at; Artimus had picked her up and was carrying her towards the ocean while both Scott and Emily both laughed at the spectacle. He had tossed her into the ocean and while he mugged for the camera she had gotten back to her feet and pulled him into the water with her. Gods that was such fun…and now it was a distant memory that she hoped she could keep alive. When the Cylons attacked and she ran from their home in Delphi she had grabbed three things; the picture taken at Caprica Beach, their wedding photo, and Archibald Bowman's journal. She had not thought about why she had grabbed the journal, but perhaps in the back of her mind it was so that one day she could return it to Artimus.

"Where are you Artimus?" she asked to nobody in particular.

There was a knock on the door and she put her glass down and got off of the sofa she was sitting on, "I'm coming."

She opened the door and found herself facing three Marines standing guard around a man in a business suit. She recognized who he was right away, "Governor Rush, what can I do for you?"

David Rush, the former Caprica talk show host was now the man who was in charge of the civilians in the fleet; he was the person who took the position after Hector Alonzo's downfall.

"May I come in?" he asked.

"Sure, just please don't talk too loudly. Admiral Tolan's kids are asleep," she said as she stepped aside and allowed Rush to enter.

"In all honesty Mrs. Bowman, it's what you can do for me," Rush said as he took a seat in the living area of the hotel-like room.

Brooke was intrigued as she took a seat across from Rush, "What is it I can do for you?"

Rush did not waste time before proceeding, "Unfortunately there has been a death among the Quorum members. Samuel Colville, the Caprica representative, died an hour ago on the _Olympica _from acute food poisoning."

"Gods, that's terrible!" Brooke exclaimed, at a time like this even one death was tragic in her opinion.

"Yes it is, and that's why I'm here. I need to fill the spot on the Quorum and I've selected you for the position until a permanent member can be chosen," Rush said as he studied Brooke's face for a reaction.

For a split second Brooke thought she had somehow fallen off the ship and was plummeting towards some rather hard looking planet beneath her.

"Why would you want me? I'm a schoolteacher and politics has never been my strong suit," Brooke said as she contemplated what Rush was asking of her.

"Captain Eyden has vouched for your work on the _Pandion_; he tells me you were an organizing force among the civilians. You cobbled together a system of educating the civilian minors on the freighter along with several other teachers. I also heard you were quite an active participant with the teachers' union back at Wilson Elementary in Caprica City. If you ask me, I think you are more than qualified for the position," Rush said.

"How did you hear all of this?"

"It seems you have a couple of friends in the Admiralty who think very highly of you and told me that I would be foolish to not offer you the position."

Brooke smirked, "Let me guess, Scott Tolan and Tyrone Carter?"

"It was Admiral Carter, Admiral Tolan was unavailable to talk. According to his wife something came up and he had to leave for the _Athena_. I spoke to Carter, since he is the senior admiral in charge while Tolan is tending to this personal matter, and he said that from what he heard of you you're your husband that you were more than able to step in to the position. Listen Mrs. Bowman, right now the people of this fleet need someone who can be a strong leader and I believe that's you. Will you serve Caprica as its representative on the Quorum? "

She thought about it and finally realized that even if she did not care for politics it would give her the opportunity to make the changes to the education system she had always fought for until she could one day be reunited with Artimus at least, "You have a deal Governor, I'll take care of some things here on the Solace and then I can begin."

Rush clapped his hands and offered Brooke a handshake, which she accepted, "Thank you Mrs. Bowman, take whatever time you need to get your affairs in order and then I'll have a transport arranged to the _Olympica_."

'I'm going to the _Olympica_?' Brooke asked herself, the large luxury liner had become an open port and de facto capital of the fleet…almost to the point that this gathering of military and civilian ships had the unofficial title of 'The Republic of Olympica'.

"One more thing Mrs. Bowman," Rush said as though a thought had slipped his mind and he had just managed to get a hold of it again.

"Yes Governor, what is it?" she asked.

"I'm going to institute a plan to restart the educational system throughout the fleet, and I was wondering if you would be interested in becoming my Secretary of Education once a new Caprica delegate has been chosen."

"I'd be honored Governor Rush, would you be opposed to having Emily Tolan serving with me to put your plan into action?"

"I have no problem with it, but is Mrs. Tolan qualified?" Rush asked.

Brooke nodded her head, "She has a degree in Education from Apollo University, and I believe it would give her something constructive to do once she's fully recovered from her injuries and cleared to leave the Solace."

Rush nodded his head, "I will be happy to have the two of you working on this. Thank you again Mrs. Bowman, good day," Rush said as he left the room with his escorts.

_**Twelve Minutes Later:**_

_**Athena, Hangar Deck:**_

The Raptor was brought onto the hangar deck, and when it came to a stop the hatch opened and Tolan stepped out. There was no formal gathering for this occasion, it had been made clear that he was here to see his cousin and he did not want too big of a deal made. There was one officer waiting for him, a captain Tolan deduced by looking at the rank pins on the blue officer uniform. He took in the surroundings and a part of his mind brought him back to when he was Ensign Scott Tolan, a recent graduate of the Colonial Fleet Academy and reporting for his first tour of duty onboard the _Galactica_. It was during that tour that he had been given the call sign 'Orion'.

"Welcome onboard the Athena. I am Captain Chiuske Shimomura, I command Viper Squadron One and now acting as the temporary Executive Officer," Shimomura snapped off a salute which Tolan returned.

"No offense, but how did you end up as the acting XO?" Tolan asked, going by the information he had on the officers of the _Athena _that did not make sense.

"Admiral Brannigan is still on the _Colossus_, I can't say for sure yet if he's had word about what all happened. Right now Major Jeremy Chandler, the CAG, has had to assume temporary command as he's the highest-ranking officer onboard."

"That can't be right, Colonel Pontiere should be in charge right now since he's the XO," Tolan said as his confusion began to grow.

"You don't know what happened?" Shimomura asked.

"I know my cousin, Ensign Tolan, was attacked. That's the only news I heard from this ship."

"Oh…well there was also a suicide. It would seem that Colonel Pontiere ordered a group of deckhands to assault Ensign Tolan, and when the attack failed and word began to spread throughout the ship Colonel Pontiere took his own life in his quarters."

"Pontiere!" gasped Tolan with both amazement and confusion. "Why would he order an assault on her?"

"There was a suicide note found that stated something about an incident involving the _Olympica_," Shimomura said as he mentally checked the facts that had been discovered so far.

"Who was it that found the body first?" Tolan asked. As he was asking this, his mind went back to that day when Hector Alonzo had tried to force him to step down as a flag officer. He had ordered Pontiere, then the Tactical Officer of the _Victorious_, to target the _Olympica_ with the experimental Sundowner missiles that had been loaded onboard for the weapons tests the battle group was taking part in. Pontiere had hesitated at first, and when it was over Tolan had angrily let the man know that he was to follow orders no matter what they were. It was a shock to say the least for Tolan to learn he was suicidal.

"It was Major Chandler; he found the body and the suicide note. He's currently being interviewed by the Master-at-Arms about what he saw in the quarters."

Tolan nodded, "Let's take a detour, take me to Pontiere's quarters," he saw the look on Shimomura's face, "It's not for anything morbid, I just want to see if there's something that could explain his mindset."

_**Athena, Executive Officer's Quarters:**_

Tolan walked past the two Marines guarding the door to the sealed off room and entered, there was no body there but the two pools of blood near a chair marked where Pontiere had died.

As he walked around the room he heard a conversation from that day when he had threatened to destroy the liner _Olympica_, _"Mr. Pontiere, load launch tubes 1 through 5 with Sundowner missiles. Target the Olympica for me."_

Pontiere had frozen at that order; it was probably one thing to target the Cylons but another to target fellow humans.

_"Mr. Pontiere is there a reason why you are not following my orders? If you have any reservations at all about this, I can have you think your priorities over in the brig and bring in someone who is willing to follow a command from a superior officer."_ His voice had been emotionless as he said those words to Pontiere but they had a chilling effect. It must have been hard for him, but at that time Tolan knew he did not have time to be sympathetic. He knew he had to put this behind him quickly but as omens for an impending operation go this was a particularly bad one.

_"Are you still there Mr. President, you seem to have gone strangely quiet?"_ He had made his move then to keep himself from being sent packing by Alonzo. The question was if Hector Alonzo, the man the civilians of the fleet had elected to be their President, would call his bluff or agree to negotiate with him.

_"Tolan you can't do this, you are going to kill over 6,000 innocent civilians as well as my wife and kids. You're not some kind of monster, come to you senses!"_ Hector Alonzo must have been scared by the thought of being killed, but Tolan wondered if he would have had it in him to destroy the _Olympica_. In a way he was thankful to have never had to find out.

_"Hector I am willing to destroy ten Olympicas if it means I can save the Colonial Fleet from the grasp of a power hungry megalomaniac like yourself. You have three minutes to make a decision. Either you can meet me and work this out, or you will have to explain to your family just why you sentenced them to death. Your call, Mr. President."_ Did he really mean it though, would doing that have made him as bad as the Cylons?

_"You're a madman Tolan, no way you would be willing to commit murder…"_ Hector Alonzo might have been right about that, but Tolan was not a madman. He was simply doing what he felt had to be done…right?

It was after the standoff had ended that he had turned on Pontiere.

"…the next time I give you an order and you do not obey it I'll do more than just send you to the brig. Do you understand?" Tolan whispered softly as he remembered what he had said that day. It was hard to fathom, could his actions have really led to what had happened to Lacey. A part of his brain told him it was not his fault, but another part tried to argue that it was.

He walked over to Pontiere's desk and noticed that there was the corner of a piece of paper standing out from underneath the calendar that lay on the desk as if stuffed there quickly or deliberately poorly hidden by someone who wanted it found. Without thinking, Tolan picked up the paper and began to read it. What he read chilled him to the bone and sent his mind racing with questions that he knew had to be answered. The shock of it all hit him, what he was holding in his hand was the first clue he had of a ticking time bomb that was waiting to go off and damage not only the remnants of the Colonial Fleet but also the civilian government.

A new realization began to dawn now that he had this piece of information. Going by what Pontiere had written in this letter and putting it with this new threat that had materialized there was one thing that was becoming clearer to him.

It could be traced back to the incident involving the _Olympica_. Judging by the way he had handled that situation with Hector Alonzo it could easily be argued that it was his entire fault.


	7. Chapter 7: On Borrowed Time

**Chapter Seven: ****On Borrowed Time**

**One Day after the 'Olympica Incident': **

Scott Tolan sat in his quarters nursing a cup of the ambrosia he had poured not too long ago; it had been one day since his standoff with Hector Alonzo. The man had just been elected to the office of President by the civilians and the military personnel. Incredibly enough, one of Alonzo's first moves was the attempt to remove him from the Colonial Fleet. The result had been the tense standoff between Alonzo and himself, one where he had targeted the experimental 'Sundowner' missiles of the _Victorious_ on the luxury liner _Olympica_.

The hatch to the room opened and in stepped Fleet Admiral John Kronus, the man was a legend among the Colonials and ranked up near the list of Colonial Fleet heroes such as Admiral Jonas Stryker. He had been sent into retirement by President Richard Adar due to a clash over the cuts made to the Colonial Fleet. When the Cylons attacked, Kronus had been a passenger on the _Olympica_. Tolan's fleet had discovered the liner, and he had brought Kronus back to active duty. Now the two men shared duties as the top leaders of the military, and Tolan found himself relying on Kronus for advice on the issues that had risen up since the Cylons had nuked the Twelve Colonies.

"Have a seat, I know we have a lot to talk about," Tolan said as he motioned to a nearby seat.

"You could say that," Kronus said as he took the seat that Tolan had offered, "anything you want to say about it?"

Tolan took a drink and mentally checked the points he wanted to make, "Alonzo brought it on himself, and I could not stand there and let him remove me from my post. I'm the only reason his sorry ass is still breathing!"

"You do realize that technically in a time a war he would not have had the authority to remove a flag officer from command," Kronus said as he poured a cup of water from the pitcher that sat on the table next to his chair.

"That would be true if he were the President of the Twelve Colonies, which technically he is but at the same time he's not. Something about the man strikes me wrong, it wouldn't have surprised me if he tried to give himself the authority in the midst of the craziness that we've been engulfed in," Tolan said as he took another drink.

"I'm not saying it's a possibility, but you just targeted a civilian ship carrying over six thousand souls onboard. "

"Yeah I did, and it's something I'll stand by. There was no way I could let Alonzo think he had the upper hand on me," Tolan said with as much conviction as he could muster.

"That's a card you can only play once in a game like this, if you go targeting every civilian ship that disagrees with you then it won't be long until you'll be just like your family in the Basileus. When that happens I can guarantee that the people will live in fear of you and what you could possibly do to them.. There may be repercussions to this that you can't even begin to imagine," Kronus said.

"Let's hope that there aren't any, and if there then hopefully they're only minor. When and if they do arrive I'll make sure I'm as ready for them as I can be."

"They may come one day when you're not expecting them to. One more thing Tolan," Kronus began before taking a breath, "If you do pull a stunt like this again I will assert my rank as Fleet Admiral and relieve you of command pending a court of inquiry. Remember that once word was sent to reactivate all retired military personnel I was on active duty again even if I didn't realize it, and the people probably have a lot more trust in the Iron Duke of Leonis than they do a member of the Tolan family."

**Present Day, Athena, Executive Officer's Quarters:**

Tolan picked up the letter and he read it a second time, if only to help his mind comprehend just what he was reading.

_To whomever it concerns, if you are reading this then it means that I am dead. I, Colonel Anton Pontiere, write this knowing that my attempt to exact revenge on Scott Tolan has failed somehow and the knowledge of my involvement has been discovered. In that case, allow me to explain why I did it. Since that day when Admiral Tolan targeted the Olympica and forced those of us in the CIC of Victorious to be culpable in a potential war crime I have not felt the same. I went on with my duties as best I could, and was actually thankful for the chance to be away from the Victorious and stationed on the Athena. It was the arrival of Lacey Tolan that made me decide on a course of action that my people would not have approved of. If you happen to get word to Admiral Tolan let him know that this is his entire fault, all the blame lies at his feet. I was a part of a group of Colonial Fleet officers known as 'The Praetorium', and we all shared a displeasure at the direction the Admiralty was taking the remnants of our society. In truth, I always felt a sense of loyalty to Admiral Tolan and stood up for him whenever someone would disparage him for his ties to the Basileus. With the actions that day when he targeted the Olympica he proved that they were right and I was wrong. It says a lot about a person when you can take someone who showed nothing but complete loyalty and turn them against you to the point that they would willingly betray their oath as an officer in the Colonial Fleet._

Tolan read the list and his eyes grew wide, he knew at least one of them from the _Victorious_ and the others he had heard of. It stunned him that they could be guilty of such treachery. Major Jeremy Chandler, a man who he had known from the first day the _Victorious _was put in commission. When a squadron leader position had opened up on the _Helios_ Tolan had recommended him to Commander Isaac Gates for the position. Chandler had told him that he would always remember the faith that had been shown in him and would not let him down. It seemed that gratitude did indeed have its limitations.

Colonel Clinton Storms was an eye-opener since Storms had just been given command of the _Ares _in light of the Raptor explosion that by all accounts would end Commander Tim Nash's career. Storms had been a Lieutenant Colonel on the cruiser _Typhon_ when Nash had selected him to serve as his XO when Tolan had ordered the _Ares_ to be brought back into commission following the Cylon attack. Here was an officer in such a high-ranking position and all the time he was working to undermine the very fleet he was tasked with protecting.

Lieutenant Aurora Zelada, that name hit him with the force of a train. She was there with him just recently during the Second Battle of Cosmora when he was in command of Battlestar Group 66. She and Petty Officer Evan Hawk had stayed with him in the Flag CIC the entire battle as the _Victorious_ took a pounding from the Cylon baseships. Just recently she had sat down with him in a lounge on the _Olympica _and had asked him if he was ever afraid. His mind tried to contrast that to the revelation that she was in fact a traitor who had worked against him all this time.

Lieutenant Clint Jarvis, not a name he was familiar with but perhaps reading his personnel file might shed light on his history.

Lieutenant Jean-Philippe Martel, Tolan had remembered the name on the manifest of officers on the _Helios_. While he did not personally know him the odds were good that Admiral Naomi Sakura would.

Captain Marina Townsend, he knew her from the time he had been on the _Colossus_. She had been on the Sphinx until that ship was nearly destroyed back at Cosmora. It was hard to fathom that two of these people had been under his nose the entire time and he never once had any suspicion in his mind about them, never thought that they might be a part of a group whose sole purpose was to undermine him.

He put the paper down on the desk and looked off into a horizon only he could see; there were six officers he needed to have arrested immediately. He could not afford to risk this being some ruse planned by a disgruntled officer who had committed suicide. If that were the case then they would be released from the brig without any reprisals. If they were guilty though, then there would be a reckoning.

He walked out of the room and down the corridor. He saw a phone set mounted on the wall, and he picked up the receiver.

"This is Lieutenant Royce," the voice on the other end said. Lieutenant Darren Royce was the head of the Marine detachment onboard the _Athena_.

"Lieutenant, this is Admiral Tolan. I need you to get a group of Marines to the CIC immediately."

"Yes sir, may I ask why?"

"You are to place Major Chandler under arrest and escort him to the brig," Tolan said and then waited to see what the Marine's response would be.

"I'm sorry sir, you want the CAG arrested?" Royce asked in a tone that betrayed his confusion.

"Yes, I know this seems extreme but know that I would not order it unless I thought it was necessary and needed to be done, Tolan said and hoped that it would get his point across.

"I understand sir; I'll take a group of Marines to arrest him."

"Thank you Lieutenant," Tolan said as he severed the connection.

"You want the CAG arrested?" Captain Chiuske Shimomura asked, Tolan could tell by the look on the officer's face that he was stunned to hear that.

"Are you in the habit of eavesdropping Captain?" Tolan asked.

Shimomura shook his head, "No sir, I was walking up to see if you wanted Colonel Pontiere's quarters sealed off and I heard your conversation."

"Major Chandler is being arrested on charges of treason. As for you, I'm promoting you to Colonel and appointing as the _Athena's_ new XO. Do you have a suggestion for a new CAG?" Tolan asked, his instincts telling him that he could trust Shimomura.

"Captain Simone Merrick, she's the officer in charge of Viper Squadron Three. I believe she's up to the job at being a CAG."

"Very well, I also want you to suggest new squadron commanders for her squadron and yours as well. When you've selected the pilots have the two of them and Captain Merrick meet me in the Officers Wardroom."

"Yes sir, may I ask where you're going?" Shimomura asked.

"I'm going to the CIC I want to send a Raptor to the Colossus to pick Admiral Brannigan up and bring him back here. I want him in the Wardroom as well," Tolan said as he started walking aft down the corridor.

**Athena, CIC: **

"Admiral on deck," Lieutenant Brandon Langley, Officer of the Watch, called out whenever Tolan entered the CIC of the _Athena_.

"At ease," Tolan said when he walked in and saw the entire CIC had stood at attention for him.

"Sitrep," Tolan said to Langley.

"There had been some commotion whenever the Marines came for Major Chandler. I would like to say he went peacefully but he put up a fight and it created some friction among the crew, some are wondering if there's more to this than is being let on," Langley said.

Tolan looked at the young Tactical Officer and tried to get a feel for the kind of person he was. Something told him that he could trust this person.

"Evidence has come forward that Major Chandler is a part of a group of subversives that it made up of a group of Colonial Fleet officers and perhaps other allies on our ships," Tolan said and he looked to see who was manning the Communications station, "Who's that on Communications?"

"That is Petty Officer Melanie Lynch, this is her shift at Communications," Langley said.

"Right, stay here and I'll be right back," Tolan said as he walked over Communications.

"Admiral Tolan, what can I do for you sir?" Lynch asked.

"I need a Priority One message sent over to the _Colossus_. Admirals Sakura and Brannigan are to return to their respective ships right away," Tolan thought about it and added, "I also want a recall order sent to the civilian ship, any Colonial Fleet personnel are to return to their ships immediately. After that I need you to send a message to all Fleet commanding officers that as of now I have decided to put the Colonial Fleet on security lockdown. Have all non-essential and off-duty people confined to quarters," Tolan knew it would not be popular but it had to be done, this move it would hopefully limit the opportunities for the Praetorium to mobilize.

**Olympica, Iasos Lounge: **

The cameras were arrayed across the back wall of the improvised conference room and the reporters assigned to this press conference had taken their seats. Behind the curtain there were two people waiting for the proceedings to begin, though only one of them would be standing before the assembled group.

"Eli, this is going to be a moment I'll never forget," Aurelia Gilliam said.

"Aurelia, I know what you're thinking but I have to advise you against this because that is what advisors tend to do," Eli Hunter, Gilliam's aide said to her. In truth since the report of the Ostarsis operation had become public knowledge it seemed that the Sagitarron delegate to the Quorum had taken a delight in possibly embarrassing the Admiralty.

"Sometimes Eli it's necessary to ignore the advice from the advisor, I think I know better on this one," she said as she patted him on the shoulder and stepped out from behind the black curtain and into the glare of the lights from the various cameramen.

"Ms. Gilliam, do you have a response to the report of the Colonial Fleet's upcoming military operation?" Elaine Casey, former reporter with the Queenstown Gazette, asked when the commotion had settled.

"A great question Elaine," Gilliam began, "I have read the reports and I cannot believe that a group that is supposed to be here protecting us has decided to abandon us in our time of need."

"Did you get the report at the same time we did?" Kirk Rivera, formerly with the Caprica City Times, asked.

"As a matter of fact I had received a report much earlier than that, and when I confronted Admiral Tolan about it he sent one of his thugs to rip the report out of my hands and threaten me over having read it in the first place," Gilliam said with her dramatic flourish over how things really went down.

"As a citizen of Canceron," Jeremiah Farrell, formerly of the Hades Telegraph, began before continuing, "I would have to wonder if Admiral Tolan is conducting himself in a manner befitting a flag officer. Do you think he is acting as though he is the leader of the Basileus?"

Gilliam smiled, "As much as it pains me to say it, I believe the way he has treated me has shown that no matter how much you try it is simply impossible to take the thug out of a thug. That is how Scott Tolan has acted, like a thug in an officer uniform."

'Take that you son of a bitch,' Gilliam thought to herself. She had an axe to grind and she wanted to milk this for all it was worth.

"In fact," Gilliam said before taking another question, "it seems to be that Tolan has influenced the entire Admiralty. He pushed out the honorable John Kronus and has promoted so many of his friends that the Admiralty resembles less a military organization and is more like a group of illiterate gangster type trouble-making thugs! What other type of person would rely on a group of pirates to protect us from the Cylons?"

"What are you planning to do about this?" Erich Marcos, a journalism student from the University of Scorpia, asked.

"I put forward a motion with the Quorum that we should tour the Eastern Alliance's baseship in order to see if they are truly up to defending us from an enemy attack. It would also give us a feeling as to whether or not we can trust Magnus Ah-Mun and his pirates though I feel I know the answer already. I have a reputation for being candid and this is no exception, Scott Tolan and Magnus Ah-Mun know nothing but hatred and it shows in the decisions they've made since the Eastern Alliance found its way into our lives. These two men are living examples of what can happen when people allow hatred to consume their hearts."

"What will you do concerning Governor Rush, did he approve of the Admiralty's plans?" Rivera asked.

"Unless my fears and concerns can be allayed it will be necessary to bring forth Articles of Impeachment against Governor Rush and Lieutenant Governor Fowler. It is not a path I want to go down, but it is a hardship I am willing to endure for the sake of the citizens of this fleet."

**Ostarsis: **

The scouting group made its way through the wooded forest located not far from the exit out of the Kria Bunker that had been discovered.

"I almost forgot how it felt to be outside," Sophia Tolen said as she looked at the woods around her.

"Don't get too comfortable out here, there's always the chance that we could run into the Cylons," Darius James, the Eastern Alliance pirate and leader of the scout party, admonished.

"Of course sir," Tolen said as she quickly reverted to her tone of voice that she had learned to use as a cadet at the Colonial Fleet Academy on Picon.

"Tolen, that is a tone of voice you never forget to use," Ensign Angela Rigel commented. She too was a graduate of the Fleet Academy on Picon.

"I'm trying to remember if Goldstein ever had us work on that, he mainly wanted me to get my salute right," Neveah Ratliff commented.

"I saw that one movie you were in, 'Noble Causes', you played a convincing Raptor pilot," James noted.

"Not sure if I'm going to do a very convincing job at this," Ratliff said.

"You're an actress so just pretend you're playing a part and that should get you through," James added with a nod of agreement from both Rigel and Tolen.

Just then they heard movement in the trees ahead, the group scattered and hit in the vegetation.

"What was that?" Ratliff whispered.

"Sounds like people walking around ahead of us," James said.

"Could they be friendly?" Tolen asked.

"Not sure, but we'll play it safe in case it's the Cylons," Rigel said which James nodded his agreement to.

"Just in case," Ratliff said as she looked down at her sidearm. She held it up and pointed it in the direction the noise came from.

"Is that safety on?" James asked.

"Yeah, why?" Ratliff asked in return.

"With the way your hand's shaking I don't want to get killed by friendly fire," James said.

"Don't worry about that the safety is…" Ratliff's tried to get a better grip but her hand instead pulled the trigger and the sidearm shot off a round. It would seem the safety was in fact off.

There was a scream of pain in the distance followed by several audible curse words that seemed to flow out of the mouth of whoever the bullet had hit. Three men came out of the place they had taken up refuge to hide from the scout party, and they were all wearing Colonial Fleet uniforms.

James and the three stepped out into view with their weapons drawn.

"Hold it right there and we won't shoot you again," James said as he aimed his assault rifle at the person closest to him.

"You shot me," one of the men said as he clutched his arm where the bullet had hit.

"Flesh wound, I can tell by looking at it," Tolen said.

"Who are you?" James asked.

"I know one of you," Rigel said as she moved in for a closer look, "Magic is that really you?"

"It's me Rigel," Major Larsen 'Magic' Banks said as he realized that he stumbled upon a friendly face, "Now why the hell did you shoot me?"

"That was me actually," Ratliff said sheepishly, "I thought I had the safety on and when I went to steady my hand I accidently fired a round."

"Neveah Ratliff, now I really can't be mad at you," Banks said as he realized he had just met the actress who had been labeled as 'One of the Most Beautiful Women in the Colonies'.

"Enough of the reunion, let's get the three of you back to the bunker so Commander Woods can debrief you," James said as he motioned for the group to follow him.

**Olympica Shuttle Thirty-Four:**

The _Olympica_ carried an assortment of various transport shuttles designed to ferry passengers back and forth from various locales to the luxury liner itself. With its new role in the fleet, some of these shuttles were now used for the purpose of ferrying various government officials to places they were needed to visit. Shuttle Thirty-Four was one such shuttle and it now carried the twelve members of the Quorum to the First Cylon War-era baseship that was now in possession of the Eastern Alliance.

Aurelia Gilliam looked at her fellow Quorum members, some she held a sense of kinship with because they were from the same party. The others she held with a cool disdain seeing as how they were from the opposition. They were as much her 'enemies' as the Cylons were to the military, she probably held the Cylons in higher regard than she did those from the 'opposite side of the aisle'. This fact-finding mission to the Eastern Alliance's baseship was her idea, a way to assert her authority and show the people of the fleet that she was doing everything she could to show that she had their best interests at heart.

There was one person she did not know, the new Caprican delegate to the Quorum, and she intended to find out who she was. She had known Samuel Colville, the recently-deceased Caprican representative on the Quorum, and had considered him an ally. This new woman, Brooke Bowman, was a newcomer and one she knew only a little about. She was intending to change that. She got out of her seat and walked to the back of the shuttle where Bowman sat looking out the window at the stars. It was as if she was looking out trying to see something that may not have been there.

"It's a gorgeous view," Gilliam said as she took the seat by Bowman.

"Yes it is, it's so vast and there's no telling what is out there," Bowman said as she turned away from the window to face Gilliam.

"Aurelia Gilliam," she said as she held her hand out for Bowman to shake, "I'm the Sagitarron representative on the Quorum."

"Brooke Bowman," she said as she shook Gilliam's hand, "I've heard plenty about you."

Gilliam managed a smile, "I hope it's been positive for the most part."

Bowman stifled a laugh, "Believe me, you've stirred people's minds and emotions quite a bit. That is in both a positive and negative way."

"I see, so where do you lie in that field?" Gilliam asked.

Bowman shrugged, "I'll make my own opinion. I'm just here temporarily until Commander Nash is well."

"Is that so, what are you going to do when this is over?" Gilliam asked though she was distressed to know a military person was being selected as the permanent Caprican representative.

"Governor Rush promised me the Secretary of Education position if I would keep the seat warm until Commander Nash is well enough to take the position."

"Wouldn't you rather have this though, it carries more weight than Secretary of Education," Gilliam said as she hoped it would persuade Bowman to take the position for herself.

"Education has been my life-long passion and right now something the children of this fleet need to have that in order to help take their minds off of what has happened and allow them to be valuable to us as they get older."

"I can tell by the way you talk about it that you have a passion for it," Gilliam decided to talk more later, "I'm going to return to my seat but if you have any questions feel free to ask me and I'll do everything I can to help you through this."

Gilliam knew enough about Brooke Bowman to know that her husband, Artimus Bowman, was the Commanding Officer of the battlestar Hermes and that she was close friends with Scott and Emily Tolan. She would get on Mrs. Bowman's good side and perhaps slowly win her over to her side, something that would give her a small victory over Scott Tolan and it would be a victory she would savor.

**Eastern Alliance Baseship 'Revenge':**

Aurelia Gilliam, Kurt Eckhart, Alfred Newton, Marian Sanders, Peter Halle, Henry White, Albert Kinlayk, Joseph Percival, Sarah Burdett, Fejga Spring, John Jekyll, and Brooke Bowman made up the Quroum of Twelve for the fleet. They were now being escorted through the corridors of the captured Cylon Baseship, which the Eastern Alliance had named 'Revenge'. With the group was Magnus Ah-Mun, the leader of the Alliance, as well as Sasha Evans, Stadra Ah-Mun, and Wilfred Ulyatt.

"This baseship is in the process of being refurbished to meet our needs, but I can assure you that we will be able to hold our own in the fight. This earlier Cylon technology is compatible with our weapons systems," Ah-Mun said as he led the group down a corridor where Eastern Alliance personnel were busy at work repairing battle damage.

"Sounding like you're a tour guide does not excuse the fact that you are a pirate," Aurelia Gilliam said in a manner that suggested she was daring Magnus Ah-Mun to argue with her.

"That's my father you're talking about," Stadra said heatedly before Magnus calmed her down with a hand on her shoulder.

"We're not even pirates anymore," Magnus said simply.

"What are you talking about?" Gilliam asked.

"Governor Rush has classified us as 'privateers', we are like the military now but not really. For those eager to fight but unable to join the Colonial Fleet we provide an alternative. I can assure you Ms. Gilliam, recruitment is booming," Magnus said with a satisfied smile.

"Spare me," Gilliam said dismissively.

"Considering the history Ms. Evans had with Hector Alonzo, I'm surprised to see that she's even allowed anywhere outside of a cell," Kurt Eckhart said, drawing a nervous glance from Evans.

"It's taken some work, but Ms. Evans and I have managed to reach an understanding. We've developed quite a working relationship," Magnus said with a satisfied smile.

"Nice to see you're as much a friend to the whores as you are to the military," Gilliam shot back at him.

"Let's get moving," Evans said as she began to lead the group down another corridor.

Magnus hung back and looked over a panel as though he were inspecting it. When Gilliam was passing him by he quickly grabbed her by the elbow and lead her into an empty room.

"What is the meaning of this?" she demanded.

"Don't worry Ms. Gilliam, I simply want to have a private word with you," Magnus said as civilly as he could.

"Just as I would say to Admiral Tolan, no chance in hell I will be alone with a mercenary thug such as yourself," she said and gave him a look that dared him to challenge her.

"Sit down," Magnus said roughly as he pushed her into a nearby chair, "Now for once in your life just shut up and do not speak until I have finished what I want to say to you."

Gilliam instinctively wanted to say something but thought better of it.

"You go and tell such outrageous things about myself and the military. Dare I say that you harbor a hatred for us? Let me tell you this Ms. Gilliam. If we were back on Caprica then you'd be invited over to my house. I'd be _thrilled_ to pour you a drink, maybe have one of my cooks make you some dinner, and then I would _teach_ you the concept of hate. You get there before the crowds and you spew visions of anger toward people who are putting their damn asses on the line to keep people like you safe so the Cylons don't blow you into whatever afterlife may exist. You piss and moan about not being able to put me on trial or not having Admiral Tolan arrested and relieved of duty. You speak of me as a hateful person and I can only imagine what other insults you've heaped upon me and my good name. You say things about my people and I that cross the line into hatefulness, yet here you want to lecture me about hate. Listen to me, I've forgotten more about the word than you'll ever learn, you repugnant little bitch!" Magnus glared at her with eyes that burned with a fury few had ever seen.

Gilliam was silent at first, she was unsure of what to make of the display of anger she had just seen. Most people cowered at her rather than meet her head on; this was a situation she had not expected to be in.

"May I go?" she finally asked.

"Yes you may, just don't forget the little talk we just had," Magnus said as though he had never been mad to begin with.

**Ares: **

"This is not how I saw this inspection going," Rear Admiral Albert Morton said to the flag officer he was accompanying for this inspection.

"I agree, this was supposed to be a simple battle-readiness inspection. That Raptor explosion changed things," Admiral Tyrone Carter said as the two men rounded a corner to make their way aft towards the Sickbay of the _Ares_.

"Yeah, I hope Commander Nash will take the news well," Morton said.

"It doesn't matter how he takes it, the situation is what it is," Carter said as he stopped to look at the report he had received from Dr. Desmon Wesley regarding the injuries Commander Timothy Nash had received when the explosion occurred on the Raptor he was preparing to board.

"Perhaps a little more tact could be useful," Morton cautioned.

"Perhaps, but right now what we have here is the fact that Nash's back injuries were severe enough to where Dr. Wesley noted that it might be best to give him a medical discharge from the Fleet," Carter said as he tried to keep the sadness he felt out of his voice. Nash was a fine officer and had proven himself during the past seven months when he was tasked with bringing the _Mercury_-class _Ares _back into service.

"Governor Rush's idea might be useful," Motion noted. Governor David Rush had heard what had taken place and decided that there was a purpose for Nash even if he could not continue to command a battlestar.

"We need a new Caprican representative on the Quorum and he's a Caprican," Carter said as the two men walked into Sickbay.

Doctor Wesley was in the process of looking over a set of X-rays when the two flag officers came up to him.

"What's the news Doc?" Carter asked.

"As much as it pains me to say it," Wesley began, "Commander Nash's injuries are severe enough that I would recommend he receive a medical discharge from the Fleet."

"The injuries are that bad?" Morton asked.

Wesley nodded, "I'm afraid so, with the injuries to his legs the odds are he's going to be using a cane for the rest of his life. As for his back, well if he lands the wrong way on the deck during battle I can't promise he won't damage his spinal cord further and risk paralysis."

"Thank you Doctor Wesley, we'll go see the Commander," Carter said and motioned for Morton to follow him.

The two flag officers entered Nash's room and saw the commander resting easily enough on a hospital bed. His hands and face looked bruised and gave the officers the impression that he had been in a fist fight and had taken some damage.

"Well if that's how you look I'd hate to see how the other guy looks," Carter said as he walked over and shook Nash's hand.

"Admiral Carter, wow this must be an important visit to have you here," Nash said as he pressed a button and turned off the television on the wall.

"Watching anything decent?" Morton asked.

"I was watching some forgettable horror movie, I'm one of those suspense junkies at heart," Nash said with a slight smile.

Carter pulled a chair up and took a seat, "There's no easy way to put this so I'll just give it to you straight. Your career in the Colonial Fleet is over, we'd already suspected it from the initial reports but the doctor confirmed it for us."

Nash was quiet for what seemed like an eternity, "What's going to happen to me?"

"You're going to be moved over to the Solace where your wife and child are already there waiting for you. You'll heal up there and when you're done with physical therapy there'll be a job waiting for you," Morton said.

Nash let out a bitter laugh, "I'm a Viper pilot who devoted his whole life to the Colonial Fleet, what other kind of life could I possibly have with my career over?"

"Admiral Tolan and Governor Rush have spoken about that and here's what will happen. You're going to be given a medical retirement from the Fleet with a promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral. Strictly a formality and a way to thank you for the job you've done over these past seven months. When you're medically cleared you'll be given the Caprican seat on the Quroum, so you will continue to serve just not in a military fashion," Carter said hoping the blow was softened somewhat.

"No way I can change their minds is there?" Nash asked.

"Not a chance this decision is final," Morton said before Carter could.

"Listen Nash, you have a beautiful wife and a healthy infant daughter. I'm trying to say is that you need to take stock of that and know that you get to have them by your side all the time instead of leaving them to wonder if you'll return from whatever mission the _Ares _is on," Carter said.

Slowly Nash nodded his head, "When you put it like that it's hard for me to say 'No' to it."

**Colossus, Officers Wardroom: **

Rear Admiral James Brannigan sat at the table with in the Officers Wardroom with Vice Admiral Naomi Sakura, both had been recently promoted up the ranks with the departure of Fleet Admiral John Kronus due to his health and Admiral Tyrone Carter due to his leading the decoy mission.

"How are you holding up Brannigan, you've been nursing that glass for the better part of half an hour," Sakura commented.

"I'm thirty-six years old and just became a Rear Admiral, has anyone else made flag rank that young?" Brannigan asked.

"A certain Fleet Admiral or two come to mind," Sakura said as she took another drink of water.

"Let me guess, Kronus and Tolan."

"Correct, Kronus got his promotion because of Cosmora while Tolan seems to have gotten his on skill and charisma more than anything despite what the rumor mill says."

"Seven months ago I was the CAG of the _Basilisk_, my second posting in space since my time as a test pilot on Sagitarron."

"I didn't know that, how'd you end up a test pilot?"

"I was accepted for Advanced Tactical Training after one of my tours on the _Daedalus_. I think a part of me did it just to see if I'd get in, but I got accepted and when I had finished I found that there was opening for the Test Pilot School. I signed up for it and when I was done there I found myself on Sagitarron in a small town called Evander. The Cian Testing Range was located there, the locals were not happy about it," Brannigan said as he finally took a drink of the amber colored beverage inside of the glass.

"How unhappy were they?" Sakura asked.

"Well one woman, an older lady mind you, told me this when she found out I was a Caprican.

"What exactly was it?"

"She said that us Capricans were 'overpaid, over-sexed, and over here!'"

"From what I've seen so far Brannigan, I think if you live five more years you might just be a great man," Sakura said.

Brannigan thought for a moment before saying, "I think I will probably have to settle for what I am now."

Sakura smiled. "Then carry on, Rear Admiral."

There was a knock on the hatch leading into the room and the two flag officers looked to see who was there.

"Sorry to disturb you," the officer said as she walked up to the table to introduce herself, "I'm Colonel Anna Wong; I'm the XO of the _Colossus_. Commander Mercer sent me to escort Admiral Brannigan and yourself to the Hangar Deck."

Brannigan looked confused, "What's going on?"

"The official report says that there have been a series of incidents onboard the _Athena_, the unofficial word is that things are royally frakked onboard…sir," Wong said as she realized that might make the situation sound even worse.

"I don't know how bad it could be," Sakura said.

"It's bad enough that Admiral Tolan has ordered all personnel back to their ships and has instituted a security lockdown. He's ordered you back the_ Helios_ along with Admiral Brannigan's orders to report back to the _Athena_," Wong said.

Brannigan stood up, "Admiral Sakura we'll talk more later on, alright Colonel let's get to the hangar so I can sort things out on my ship."

Sakura stood up as well, "Right now it seems the Colonial Fleet is about ready to tear itself apart. Let's pray we can keep the situation from spinning out of control."

**Ostarsis, Kria Bunker: **

"You're back sooner than I expected," Commander Bridget Woods said as she turned around to make eye contact with the Darius James' scouting group.

"Based on what we discovered, I thought it best to return immediately," James offered, which did not elicit a response from Woods.

"In that case, what was it that you discovered?" she asked as she took a seat at her desk.

The scouting group parted around the door and in walked three Colonial Fleet officers, her first instinct was to believe that these were Cylon skin jobs but one of the officers she recognized immediately.

"Commander Woods, it's good to see you again," Major Larsen 'Magic' Banks said as he came to attention in front of the former XO of the _Victorious_.

"I take it Ensign Rigel greeted you whenever she realized who you were," Woods said; back on _Victorious_ Rigel and Banks had struck up a friendship before her transfer to the _Kios_.

"That she did, it was a relief to see that she survived. The same goes for you as well Commander. I'm afraid one of your people might need a little more practice with her sidearm" Banks had bandaged the flesh wound on his arm, and it was covered by his uniform jacket.

"I'll have a medic take a look at that Major…wow you moved up the ranks quickly," Woods said as she took note of the Major pips affixed to Banks' collar.

"I've impressed Admiral Tolan enough to be promoted quickly; this war has made promotions easier to come by."

"I believe it," Woods said with a smile before adding, "You managed to find my people, now who are your friends?"

"This is Ensign Paul Stryker, he's been marooned here on Ostarsis since his battlestar jumped into orbit and engaged the Cylons. Also with me is my ECO, Lieutenant Samuel Nicholas." Banks introduced them with each offering a salute to Woods.

"Which battlestar were you assigned to Ensign?" Woods asked.

"I was assigned to the _Poseidon_ after the Academy, but I was transferred to the _Stryker_ so that I could participate in the Viper Squadron One's flyover during the commissioning ceremony," Stryker said.

"How was it that the _Stryker _was able to survive the Cylon attack?" Woods asked.

"Keep in mind this was the older _Orion_-class _Stryker _we're talking about here. The plan was to hold a join commissioning and decommissioning ceremony. We were to decommission the older _Stryker_ and walk over to the new _Stryker_ and commission it. As we approached the dock where the new Stryker was the Cylons attacked. Keep in mind this new _Stryker_ was an improved _Titan_-class battlestar, and it was destroyed with several nukes. We did a blind jump away from the dock and ended up out in the Gariar Sector near the Red Line. One advantage we had was that our Tactical Officer deduced that the Cylons were using a backdoor built into the CNP and promptly disconnected it. We did the same thing with our Vipers and Raptors. Without the CNP connected there was no backdoor for the Cylons to use to shut down the battlestar. I'm pretty sure that was our one saving grace right there. At the time we had intercepted a message from two other battlestars and the Commander decided to investigate, we jumped to Ostarsis and came under attack by the Cylons. Some of the other pilots were shot down but I don't know if they managed to make it to the surface like I did," Stryker said as his voice began to trail as he thought of the others from his squadron.

"I understand Ensign, it's a pleasure to meet both you and Lieutenant Nicholas," Woods said before turning her attention to Banks, "I know I'll get the story of how you were stranded here, but I want to know why you were in orbit of this moon."

"We were beginning our initial recon of Ostarsis, Tolan and the rest of the Admiralty came up with an ambitious plan to get you and the rest of the prisoners off of this moon. I was leading the Raptor group tasked with gathering photographic details of the Cylons defenses. As you can imagine, Tolan is essentially throwing all of his resources into here to rescue you and your people. With the situation the way it is, he can't afford to be careless with the fleet."

"Nor would I expect him too," Woods said while mentally she was grateful that Tolan was willing to do what he could to rescue her. Her mind told her that if this was someone besides her here then perhaps he would not undertake such a bold mission. If that were the case then she was glad to be her and that he was willing to take the risk required to rescue her and the rest of the prisoners.

"Miss Tolen," Woods said as she turned her attention to Sophia Tolen, "I want you to take our guests to their quarters and make sure they get a shower and a meal. When they're rested bring back here so we can have a proper debriefing. Mr. James and Miss Ratliff please stay behind."

"Aye aye, Commander," Tolen said as she motioned for the men to follow her.

Banks thanked her again before he closed the door behind him.

"How did Neveah do?" Woods asked, dropping the formality of being a military officer.

"She did well, though at times she was a bit tentative," James said.

"It took some getting used to, but I was advised to simply act as though it was a movie role. I channeled my experience from 'Noble Causes' and tried to be the best soldier I knew how to be. I did apologize profusely to Major Banks for shooting at him," Ratliff said as she seemed a bit embarrassed by that particular incident.

"At least it wasn't a serious wound, I'd hate to think if you'd hit a body part that was important. Good work Nev, I'm proud of you," Woods said as she turned to James, "Mr. James good work on this trip; however I would like for you to get another scouting party together soon and see what else you can find out there. Meeting Ensign Stryker gives me some hope there might be other military personnel out there that we haven't found yet."

Woods turned her attention back to Ratliff, "While I'm thinking about it Nev, you might want to take some time to go work on your aim a bit more."

**Ares: **

Commander Clinton Storms stood at the Command and Control Station in the middle of the CIC going over a set of reports that the department heads had recently delivered with his new XO, Colonel Darlene Solomon, and did not pay attention to the doors to the CIC sliding open. After all it was a busy time with the preparations going on for the upcoming mission, one that he hoped would be stopped before their lives were thrown away needlessly.

"Commander Storms," a man's voice called out.

Storms turned to see Marine Lieutenant Desmond Cooke, the officer in charge of the _Ares'_ Marines, standing with a group of soldiers. His look and demeanor implied this was a less-than-friendly visit.

"You need to watch your tone Lieutenant," Storms cautioned.

Cooke looked momentarily amused before he said, "Commander Storms you are under arrest for the crime of treason by order of the Admiral of the Fleet. My Marines will escort you to the brig where you stay pending trial."

Storms was stunned, "What?"

"You heard me clearly, now follow my people to the brig or else we will subdue you."

Storms wanted to protest but his mind was stuck now, did Tolan somehow find out about the Praetorium? Realizing that Cooke meant business he turned to Solomon, "You're in charge Colonel. This is clearly a misunderstanding. When this over I'll have Cooke's rank and hide."

"Follow me," Cooke said as Storms came to them to be escorted to the brig. If the CO had done what he was accused of then Cooke would gladly volunteer to be the head of the firing squad.

None of the people in the group said a word as they navigated the corridors that led them to the brig. Cooke pressed a button and the hardened door to the cell Storms would occupy opened. Without a word the officer stepped in and sat on one of the bunks.

Cooke and all but two his people left the brig to report to Tolan that Storms had been arrested.

**Victorious, Commanding Officer's Quarters: **

Commander Andre Graystone put down the receiver and mentally did what he could to calm his nerves. There was a traitor on the _Victorious _and she had been operating under his nose all of this time. The name caught him off-guard; she was an exemplary officer and had taken charge of the Tactical Department since Major Banks had been shot down over Ostarsis. However, Scott Tolan would not have taken such a drastic step if it had not been called for.

No, his brother-in-law would not do something like this unless he had solid proof that the people named were in fact traitors who had conspired against the Colonial Fleet they swore to serve faithfully.

He picked the receiver up and pressed the four button combination to forward his call to the Marine detachment.

"This is Lieutenant Bates," the man on the other side of the call said. Lieutenant Eldon Bates was the in charge of the _Victorious'_ Marines, and was the one person Graystone felt he could trust to get this job done.

"Bates, this is Commander Graystone. I want you to get a group of four of your Marines ready by the time I get there to see you. We are about to arrest an officer for treason. She's in the CIC on watch; don't mention this to anyone until I get there."

"Understood sir, my people will be ready," Bates said and then the line went dead.

**Fifteen Minutes Later, Victorious CIC: **

Commander Graystone and the Marines entered the CIC and quickly went to the Tactical Station.

The officer looked up from her station at them with a look of confusion on her face.

"Lieutenant Aurora Zelada you are under arrest for the crime of treason. Step away from the console and follow these Marines to the brig. Any attempt to do otherwise will result in your being shot," Graystone added that last part on because for someone to commit such a crime in a time of war made him sick to his stomach and a part of him hoped that she would do something and spare the time put into giving her a trial.

Across from where this was taking place, Lieutenant Jessica Jennings looked on bewildered. She watched the scene unfold and looked over to where Colonel Celina Cruz was standing at the Command and Control Station. She seemed to want to walk over there and find out what was going on but seemed stuck in place.

Suddenly the reports she had been working on made sense, it was though the pieces of a puzzle had begun to fit in place and she was seeing a bigger picture. There was more to this than a simple case of treason, her instincts told her this and she knew she needed to speak to Commander Graystone the first chance she had.

**Athena, Commanding Officer's Quarters: **

"This is one frakked-up situation, sir," Brannigan said as he slumped into his chair and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes it is, but we should have rounded up the main perpetrators of this cabal. They'll either answer our questions or we'll have to persuade them to do so," Tolan said.

"With all due respect Admiral, those people are Colonial Fleet officers and should be treated as such," Shimomura said.

"No Colonel, the moment they decided to take part treason against us they became traitors in my book," Tolan shot back.

"Something I'd say about Aurelia Gilliam too, but you haven't arrested her and thrown her in the brig," Shimomura said.

"Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind. Colonel Shimomura I need you to report to the CIC to stand watch. If anything urgent arises let us know right away," Tolan said as he dismissed the _Athena's_ new XO from the meeting.

"Aye aye, sir," he said as he saluted and then left the room.

"I don't think it's truly sunk in with him how deep this betrayal goes," Brannigan said as though he was somehow trying to make sense of Shimomura's behavior.

"With the game we're playing that's a luxury that can't be afforded," Tolan said as he took a seat.

"What are you going to do?" Brannigan asked.

"I'm jumping the fleet away from here to the Ariaro Sector where we'll stay until we're ready to begin Operation Downfall. Before we can get those prisoners off of that moon we need to get our house back in order," Tolan said.

"Do you have any ideas on how to do that?" Brannigan asked as he poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the nearby coffee table.

"I'm going to form a task force with the sole purpose of hunting down the people responsible for this. Something tells me there is someone behind this and I intend to find out whom and put an end to this once and for all."

Brannigan was impressed, "Who do you have in mind?"

"Mitchell Cain, he's former MoI and as much as I don't trust that organization he's proven his loyalty. He's going to pair off with _Olympica _Security to form this task force, and going by what I've heard from Commander Graystone I'm going to assign Lieutenant Jennings to assist Cain," Tolan said as he rolled the idea around in his mind.

"Will Governor Rush go along with that?"

"I'm tempted to go ahead and declare martial law until this is over, if Rush goes along with my plan then I won't take that step but if he doesn't then I'll have no choice. The security of this fleet is paramount to anything else."

**Olympica, Shuttle Bay Twelve,**

Raptor Five-Eight-Six departed from the _Victorious_ and began to make its way through the massive armada of both civilian and military vehicles. It carried one passenger, a young woman who had recently been promoted from Junior Lieutenant to Lieutenant by order of the Admiral of the Fleet.

Lieutenant Jessica Jennings sat in the back of the Raptor and quietly watched as the pilot navigated her way towards their destination. From the moment Commander Andre Graystone had informed her of what Admiral Tolan had in mind for her she knew this was going to be something huge, at last all the work she work she had done in her free time would pay off. The arrest of Lieutenant Aurora Zelada added more fuel to her burning suspicion that something was going on in the Fleet and it was something terrible. Working on this special task force alongside Mitchell Cain would provide her with the additional resources to go along with her research and allow her to put the pieces of this complicated puzzle together.

After several minutes lost in her thoughts her eyes registered the sight up ahead, it was the massive luxury liner _Olympica_. The flagship of the Colonial Line was now the de facto capital of the armada of civilian and military vessels that composed this refugee fleet of survivors of the Cylon attacks. It was both an impressive sight to behold and it served as a reminder of the society that had been lost in the flames of the nuclear weapons unleashed upon the Twelve Colonies.

She shook that thought from her head; this was going to be her new home for the time being and it would give her something to do that had the potential to make a huge difference. She had a job here to do, and she only hoped she would do it well enough to justify the faith that had been shown in her by both her former and current Commanding Officers.

"Olympica this is Raptor Five-Eight-Six from _Victorious_ requesting a berth for landing,"

The Raptor from Victorious landed where it had been directed to by the _Olympica's_ Air Traffic Control Officer. Lieutenant Rachel Noble powered down the Raptor and turned her head towards the back.

"We're here Lieutenant; I hope you didn't mind the boring flight."

Lieutenant Jessica Jennings smiled, "It's alright Lightning, and I can stand a boring flight just fine."

"Glad to hear it, after that last mission I was on some mule work sounded like just what I needed," Noble said. It was only recently that she had been sent on a recon mission to Ostarsis along with Major Larsen 'Magic' Banks. She had made it back but the Raptor Banks was piloting had been shot down and for all she knew he was somewhere on Ostarsis trying to evade the Cylons.

Jennings stepped out and saw a man walking towards them. He was wearing a black business suit with a white shirt. 'That's got to be him,' she thought to herself.

"Mitchell Cain, which one of you is Lieutenant Jennings?" Cain introduced himself by shaking the hands of both women.

"That would be her," Noble said as she gestured towards Jennings, "I'm Lieutenant Rachel Noble, I'm just the one who brought her to you."

"Thank you Lieutenant Noble and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," Cain said as he motioned for Jennings to follow him.

"Where are we going?" Jennings asked Cain as they headed towards the shuttle bay's exit.

"The offices of Olympica Security, we're going to be working with them to track down the rest of this 'Praetorium' and bring them to justice," Cain said as he opened the door for her to go through.

"We caught the main ones I thought, I take it Admiral Tolan wants to get all of them," she said as they rounded a corner.

"Well he has a one hell of a party planned for the ones we have in custody, he probably figures it'd be a shame to have all of them miss it," Cain with a wicked smile.

"This is going to be a first, the Ministry of Intelligence has quite the reputation," Jennings said, the thought of working with an officer from the MoI was both exciting and left her feeling fearful at the same time.

**Olympica, Alcaeus Restaurant:**

Seated in a booth at the Alcaeus Restaurant on E-Deck of the _Olympica_ were two men going over plans that they desperately wanted to keep secret.

"I can get you the guns you need, but it's going to take time." Lieutenant Clint Jarvis said as he looked over the request that had been written down on a napkin.

"Time is something we don't have much of." Donte Solis replied.

"I have to smuggle these off of the _Achilles_ and pray that nobody questions the move." Jarvis had recently been reassigned to the battlestar _Achilles_. The relic from the First Cylon War was badly damaged and in need of an extensive overhaul. That played a part in why the veteran battlestar had been assigned to the reserve battlestar group along with the seriously-damaged _Victorious_ and the escort battlestar _Maytoria_.

"_Achilles_ is no longer a flagship from what I understood."

"Jonasson has yet to move his flag to the _Victorious_. It seems he wants to wait until the _Achilles_ is moved to the _Priam _for more repair work."

"Thanks to your woman, Neria, I've been starting the process of moving my people into places among the Fleet. When I give the word we can hit the Admiralty and other high-ranking officers."

"Neria is valuable to us; she can make things for us easier just by being on _Victorious_. In fact she recently leaked a classified copy of the Ostarsis plans."

"Forgive me, but leaking that to the press is hardly something to be excited about."

Jarvis smirked, "Who said anything about leaking it to the press?"

"Ok, then who?"

"Tolan had a copy sent to the resistance cell on Ostarsis. Neria did send it that way, but she also made sure the Cylons were able to easily detect the transmission."

"That is sneaky, but what if she gets caught?"

"We have a candidate for taking the fall; Neria has no qualms about framing him either."

A waiter came by and the men immediately stopped their conversation, the last thing they needed was for someone to overhear what they were talking about.

"As for what you've planned out, don't you think it's a bit on the risky side?" Jarvis asked.

Solis shook his head, "Not at all, the way I see it is that with the Cylons knowing the plans of the Admiralty they should be able to put such a hurting on the fleet that it will prove our case that Tolan is incompetent and put his personal feeling ahead of the good of the people."

"What about _Athena_ and _Ares_, Neria and I are safe because our ships are tasked with protecting the civilians but those two ships are supposed to take part in the battle over Ostarsis," Jarvis asked.

"Risk is a part of the game, it's a gamble sure but I prefer to think of what we can gain by going through with it. If something happens to our people on those ships then we can move our plans forward knowing that we'll make sure that their sacrifice was not in vain."

There was a buzzing sound in Solis' pocket. He picked up a portable messenger and pressed a couple of buttons to see the message it had received. He saw the message and read it to himself, 'You know, it's not really a party without candles on your cake.'

Solis was speechless; somehow the Praetorium had been discovered. His man on the _Ares_ had known that was the message to send if something should happen. He suddenly felt very exposed where he was at.

"Jarvis get the check and get out of here. You're coming back to the _Jauron_ with me," Solis said as he stood up and started towards the exit.

"What's going on?" Jarvis asked, confused at the sudden turn of demeanor in Solis.

"I can't explain it here, but if you go the _Achilles_ then you're a dead man."

**Thirty Minutes Later:**

**Athena, Wardroom:**

Rear Admiral James Brannigan, Colonel Chiuske Shimomura, Major Simone Merrick, and Captain Yesinia Flores sat at the table in the wardroom facing the podium where Admiral Tolan stood.

"First I want to congratulate Colonel Shimomura, Major Merrick, and Captain Flores on their promotions and I wish you the best in the new assignments given to you," Tolan began before moving to the subject at hand, "Earlier today I came across evidence that exposed a possible seditious group of Colonial Fleet officers within our ranks. One of those names mentioned was Major Jeremy Chandler, upon hearing this I ordered his immediate arrest as well as the arrests of Commander Clinton Storms and Lieutenant Aurora Zelada."

"How long will the security lockdown last?" Merrick asked.

"As long as I deem necessary, right now there is a chance that any remaining officers may try to organize and cause problems for us. It's best to keep the lockdown in place for the time being. I know it may seem harsh but right now it is in the best interest of the security of this fleet that I take this course of action."

"What is the situation over on the _Ares_?" Brannigan asked.

"I've spoken with Commander Olson of the_ Indra_ and she's agreed to send over her XO, Colonel Isra Hanan, to take over command of the _Ares_. She should be arriving there any minute," Tolan said.

The phone on the bulkhead behind Tolan began to ring. He walked over and picked it up, "Tolan."

"Admiral Tolan this is Lieutenant Langley, we've just received word that all ships are ready for FTL jump on your orders."

"Send word to all ships to jump to the coordinates we provided," Tolan said before turning his attention back to the group, "I'm going to cut this meeting short. I have one more thing to take care of before I leave for the _Colossus_. Carry on with your duties and if you see something suspicious report it to me, or in the case of you three officers report it to Admiral Brannigan.

Moments later the fleet of military and civilian ships jumped away. A few hours later that the area of space known as 'Point Luck' was the site of several Cylon baseships jumping in with orders to soften up the military before it had a chance to pull off the upcoming mission to Ostarsis.

**Olympica, Olympica Security Debriefing Room: **

Karin Briggs, Rhoda Davis, Lyndon Ewing, Reyna Soto, Angelique Simone, Avery Rhodes, and Enrique Carrillo were seated at the oval-shaped conference table in the Debriefing Room in the Olympica Security department's offices. Briggs, being the agent in charge of the security group, had requested that she be included in the task force. She assured both Admiral Tolan and Governor Rush that she was up to the challenge of handling both jobs. Mitchell Cain and Jessica Jennings were in the room in front of a large display screen that was currently projecting the images of the members of the Praetorium who had already been captured; Commander Clinton Storms, Major Jeremy Chandler, Lieutenant Aurora Zelada were the prominent ones along with an image of the deceased Colonel Anton Pontierre.

"These four are the confirmed members of the Praetorium, and one of them is currently dead. We are still waiting to extract information from the other three to see if there were any other members out there," Cain began.

"Are the members of this group strictly officers?" Rhoda Davis asked.

"We believe so, all of the evidence so far points to that," Cain said before adding, "There is a chance that there are enlisted personnel but they may be accessories."

"Is there a chance that there are these 'accessories' out there?" Davis asked before anyone else in the group could say something.

"There is a chance of that; there is also a chance that there were other officers that might have been missed in the initial round-up. There are three possibilities as to potential suspects," Cain said and he pressed a button that brought up three officer photographs, "Lieutenant Clint Jarvis, Lieutenant Jean-Philippe Martel, and Captain Marina Townsend have not shown up for their shifts on the _Achilles_, _Helios_, and _Colossus_. Jarvis is a recent transfer to the Achilles, while Townsend was transferred to the Colossus after the _Sphinx_ was heavily damaged at Cosmora. Martel has been on the _Helios _since last year and nothing so far has shown in their records to hint at possible involvement."

"Any idea as to where they are?" Ewing asked.

"For that let me turn the meeting over to Lieutenant Jessica Jennings," Cain stepped to the side and allowed the young officer the chance to explain her theory.

"While serving on the _Victorious_ as the Communications Officer I noticed transmissions broadcasted from the ship that was routed through different channels instead of through our main channel. It was not the communications themselves but the high volume that were relayed between the same ships, some of which were not even in the same battle group. I've spent hours putting the pieces together and the one thing these ships have in common is that they're in communication with the _Jauron_. I've tried to bring up the information on this freighter but the records do not match up with the original registration," Jennings said to the group.

"I believe that there is a common thread to these officers involved in the Praetorium, and that is the freighter _Jauron_. This ship serves as both a freighter and an accommodation ship for civilian families. We have tried to get the records of the _Jauron_ up but it seems someone has deleted the detailed information from our main database, considering we know of Lieutenant Zelada's involvement that must have been her doing. I believe that when we get the chance to board and inspect this ship we will find the information we are looking for."

"I wish I could approve it, but I don't know just how far our reach is," Briggs said.

"Don't worry about that," Cain said before adding, "Governor Rush has given us overreaching authority in this matter. We sort of a blank check to board and search any vessel that we suspect might be harboring the members of the Praetorium, and our permission to board the _Jauron_ has been granted. We leave for the ship in approximately an hour; as soon as the Raptors from _Victorious_ arrive to transport us over there we leave to board the ship."

Athena, Sick Bay:

Tolan walked into Sick Bay flanked by two Marines, his personal security guard now that he knew there was a group of officers who were committing nothing short of treason. He had sent word to the _Athena's _Communications Officer to relay his orders to the other ships in the fleet so that the flag officers and commanding officers would have extra protection in case something should happen. These two Marines had been stationed with General Otus Maxwell's Marines on the Marine transport ship _Syrinx _and had been a part of the group that accompanied him and Maxwell to investigate Alpha Station One. They had fought valiantly on that hellish research facility and had made sure that Tolan was not harmed when they were around him. He was grateful they had been assigned to the _Athena_ and he believed that he could trust them with his life.

"Do you want us to follow you in?" Private Laurie Chase asked.

Tolan shook his head, "That won't be necessary Private, you and Bradford stand guard at the door."

Both Chase and Private Everett Bradford took their positions along with the two Marines guarding the room where Lacey Tolan was being kept.

"Sir, there's a visitor in there along with Doctor Rosario," one of the guards informed Tolan before he walked into the room.

"Who's here?" Tolan asked, his curiosity was mixed with trepidation.

"A Lieutenant Christopher Alonzo, he arrived here about five minutes ago and has not left the room," the guard said.

Tolan nodded, "Right, thank you for the heads-up. No one else is allowed in this room unless I give them my permission to enter."

He entered the room and found Alonzo sitting by Lacey's hospital bed; he was holding her hand and speaking softly to her.

"I see you beat me here," Tolan said which prompted Alonzo to jump at realizing he had been walked in on.

"Sorry Admiral, I thought I'd come and see what I can do for her," Alonzo said.

"It's alright Lieutenant," Tolan said as he looked at Lacey's face. She was bruised up and looked like she had taken a fair share of punishment; right now she was sedated and sleeping peacefully.

"There's rumors going around about the XO offing himself, is that true?" Alonzo asked.

"You always pay attention to scuttlebutt Mr. Alonzo?" Tolan asked though he was more amused than annoyed.

"Sometimes, but the look on your face says that there's something more to it," Alonzo said, wondering if he was crossing into uncharted territory.

"Just between us…yeah that's true and worse is that I'm having to keep Marine guards around me at all times in case there's an attempt on my life," Tolan said as he took a seat near Alonzo.

"What?" Alonzo asked as his eyes registered what it meant.

"There's a group of seditious bastards that I have to deal with. It seems the officers who swore the same oath as I have betrayed it and now well it doesn't seem nobody is safe. I'd wager it's the same people who went after Lacey. I want to oversee the interrogations of the bastards."

Alonzo wanted to say something and it took him a moment to steel up his resolve, "You need to get away from this room Admiral," he saw the flag officer's face darken slightly, "You can't do anything for Lacey here, you need to find who did this and the people behind it and put them away before they can hurt someone else like they hurt her. You'll do more good that way than by staying here when she's sedated for gods-knows how long."

Tolan was quiet for a few moments as he tried to gather his thoughts, "Mr. Alonzo you have a pair of stones on you."

"Thank you, I think, but the truth is that there is an entire fleet of civilians and military personnel who are looking to you to get the job done and keep them out of harm's way. If you ask me, this is the time for you to show them the kind of person a flag officer is. You need to go put the Fear of Tolan into them."

"The 'Fear of Tolan', shouldn't it be the Fear of the Gods?" Tolan asked.

"Sir, the Gods are alive in the Sacred Scrolls and let's be honest… right now not everyone believes in their existence. You on the other hand are flesh and blood and can very much influence the way in which a person's day will go."

"You stay with her and don't leave her side under any circumstances," Tolan said as he stood up and walked over to kiss Lacey on her forehead. He then left the room with the Marines following him. He had a job to do


	8. Chapter 8: A Ghost of a Chance

**Chapter Eight: A Ghost of a Chance**

**Battlestar **_**Athena**_**, Brig:**

The two Marines on guard duty came to attention when Tolan entered the brig.

"At ease," the Admiral of the Fleet said as he walked to the cell that held only a single occupant.

The two officers stared at each other, one from each side of the bars of the brig cell. It was as though they were two prize fighters sizing up one another before the opening round of a fight.

Neither said a word, only causing the tension in the small room to become all the more palpable. Finally one of the men decided to say something.

"Did you come here to kill me?" Major Jeremy Chandler, the former CAG of the _Athena_, said as he sat up on his bunk.

"You really think that's what I'm here for?" Tolan asked. "I'll admit it has crossed my mind."

"It's in your nature," Chandler said with a satisfied smile feeling his opinion of the Admiral being justified.

Tolan let out a short laugh, "It's in my nature, what do you know about my 'nature'?"

"I've heard enough about your family to know what you're like," Chandler responded as he finally got off his bunk.

"Ah yes, the Basileus, well in case you didn't get the report…the Basileus were destroyed in the attacks."

Chandler shrugged, "You may say that, but as long as you and your cousin are alive then the Basileus will live on."

"You have an interesting way of looking at things, have you been speaking with Aurelia Gilliam lately?"

"Gilliam!" chortled Chandler. "She really hates your guts; I doubt you need to be told that though."

Tolan could not help but shake his head, "Call me crazy but I think you're right. Tell me Chandler, did you know that Pontiere had targeted Lacey?"

Chandler shook his head, "I wanted to turn her against you, so what good would be gained from me ordering her to be assaulted?"

Tolan could not help but be skeptical, "You're being very forthcoming? I'd expect a man in your position to be holding out on information to be used as bargaining tools later on."

Chandler shrugged, "I've been caught and will probably be found guilty of some serious crimes. Best I cooperate from the get-go and try to save my neck."

"Anything else I should know?" Tolan asked.

"I leaked all of the plans for the Ostarsis mission to both the military…and the Cylons," Chandler said.

Tolan felt the deck plates beneath his feet fall away as if he were on the gallows and the rope was now tightening around his neck.

"Before I ask why you turned against your own people, how exactly did you pull that off?" Tolan asked, not quite wanting to believe what he was hearing.

"Neria made it possible, from her position on the _Victorious_ she was able to access the data and send it out among the more monotonous transmission that people rarely pay attention to."

"Lieutenant Zelada," Tolan said as though he still could not believe her name was among the traitors, "I never suspected she would have done something like this."

"Like the rest of us, we were afraid you were going to sacrifice our lives on some fool's errand of a mission. Looking over those plans I think we made the right move."

"You have no idea what you've done, to get out of a fight you put every last one of us in danger!" Tolan said as he tried to not let any anger rise to the surface.

"It must get under your skin, those warring sides in your mind. The part that wants to be the model flag officer and the part of you that wants to give in to that gangster side you've kept hidden."

Tolan wanted to say something but instead turned to leave the room, "When the time comes you'll be dealt with appropriately. Until then, I still have a war to fight."

**Ostarsis, Dia Griene Hotel:**

"What do you mean they weren't there?" One said as he slammed his hand on the conference room table in anger.

"My baseships jumped to the coordinates but they were nowhere to be found," Kimmel, a Number Four, said as his eyes took note of the looks on the faces of the other six models at the conference table.

"Perhaps they've reconsidered their plan to attack," Eight offered.

"Nonsense, they think their people are still being held here and I'm counting on Tolan to take the bait," One said as he began to rifle through some papers in a folder in front of him.

"Could they regroup with the _Galactica _or the other battlestars we know are still out there?" Six asked.

One shook his head, "_Galactica_ is too far away now. The problem is if they find one of these four battlestars," he hit a button and the projection screen at the other end of the table came out of its location before turning itself on.

"We still know nothing about where those are?" Five asked.

"Before we lost contact with our agents onboard we knew that the _Libran_ and _Gemenon_ were off somewhere in the Sutlej Quadrant near Aquaria. I'm assuming both ships are hiding somewhere to keep a low profile, but they can't hide forever. We have not had any recent sightings of the _Hermes_ since their attack on our supply ships near Picon, but we have to assume it's still out there somewhere; Artimus Bowman has been more resourceful of a Commander than I gave him credit for."

"Do you think _Hermes_ has linked up with _Victorious_?" asked Natalie Faust, the representative of the Sixes. "Maybe _Hermes_ is part of Tolan's plan now and we just don't see it. Ever since your agent was eliminated by Bowman and his people information has been hard to get."

One winced at her words. The two of them had been at each other's throats for months regarding the Battlestar _Hermes_.

"I doubt it," interjected the Eight. "_Hermes'_ attack did little to affect our operations around Ostarsis. I believe the attack was a separate affair."

"Agreed!" said the Two.

"Very well then," said One. "Moving swiftly along, the Battlestar _Stryker_ was here at Ostarsis, but there's little to nothing we know about it. We will find it so we can send the name 'Stryker' into history once and for all," One said, drawing nods from the fellow Cylon models.

"It was a shame he died before we launched our attack," Three commented.

"I was disappointed as well, but the seven of us were there at his grave in Hastings. To watch our nukes hit his tomb was amazing, that was the first place on Aquaria we hit before we attacked the rest of the colony," Two added.

The city of Hastings had campaigned hard to beat out cities such as New Aquarius, Brighton, Hyperion Bay, Embree, Andros, and Marshall Creek to order to be selected as the sight of the tomb of the legendary Colonial Fleet officer.

Fleet Admiral Jonas Ingram Stryker was a native of Aquaria who had been the driving force in combining the militaries of the twelve colonies into a single fighting force. He was the man who was responsible for plotting the various operations the newly-formed Colonial Fleet undertook in their fight to keep the Cylons at bay. The Cylons carried a hatred for him and when the time came to eradicate the Twelve Colonies in a nuclear fire, any place or thing associated with Stryker was specifically targeted for destruction.

"What about that cruiser group we encountered at Canceron?" Eight asked.

"They jumped away and we also have not encountered them yet. However thanks to the pictures taken by our raiders we've been able to identify the ships," One said as he brought up the list of the five heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, two faststars, and two fast combat support ships, "The five heavy cruisers are of the _Hypatia_ sub-class and are the _Celeste_, _Tawa_, _Boskirk_, _Themis_, and _Luminere_. The three light cruisers are of the _Tobruk_-class and are the _Onaran_, _Alecto_, and _Pompey_. The two faststars are part of the _Tiger_-class and are the _Vectis_ and _Asterion_. The two fast combat support ships are from the _Gaoth_-class and are the _Oranu_ and _Queenstown_."

"That's almost as sizeable a force as Tolan's," said the Five . "It seems our victory was not as complete as we first thought. Who is the flag officer of that group?" Five asked.

"Don't get pessimistic, we have still crushed the human race and all we need to do is trim off the rough edges of our masterpiece such as _Victorious_, _Hermes, _and this…this cruiser group. When that group shows up it'll be dealt with," One said before looking at the notes, "Rear Admiral Lewis Ware is the flag officer of that group. It seems they were part of the Ninth Fleet but were probably separated during our attack on the Colonies."

"I think we should take some of our forces from the defense of this moon and track down this cruiser group. If they link up with Tolan that will make him even more of a danger," Kimmel said.

"No, we are going to keep our forces here and wait for Tolan to show up. He might have slipped away from us this time but he will show up here and when he does we will destroy him and his meddlesome group once and for all."

"Ware…that last name sounds familiar," Eight said before she made the connection, "Is he related to Fleet Admiral Gary Ware?"

One nodded, "He's the youngest of Gary Ware's children. Another person from the war we were happy to kill off and we can thank one of your sisters for that one."

**Battlestar **_**Victorious**_**, Brig Interrogation Room:**

The prisoner sat handcuffed to the chair in the interrogation room. The surroundings were modern looking yet still held a cold feel to them. If the intent was to throw a person off balance and cause discomfort, it was done well.

The door to the room slid open and in walked two people. A man and a woman, who the prisoner immediately recognized, took one of the two seats on the opposite side of the table.

"Commander Graystone and Colonel Cruz, I wasn't sure when I'd see you," Lieutenant Aurora Zelada, formerly of the Tactical Division, said with an air of confidence that Graystone saw straight through as being fake.

"Personally I'm surprised to know you were betraying us to the Cylons," Cruz said before Graystone held up a hand to let her know to calm down.

"The good cop/bad cop routine?" Zelada asked more amused than anything.

"Truth is my first instinct was to shoot you out of an airlock but I knew a higher authority would not have approved," Graystone said.

"You mean the gods wouldn't have approved?" Zelada replied.

"No, I mean Scott Tolan, but yes, as far as you are concerned right now he is Zeus and is passing judgment upon you. He sent word to those in the fleet that you were to be treated as prisoners of war and held until you could stand trial. Otherwise…well you can imagine. The articles of war don't really apply to traitors."

"You think what I did is something that would qualify as treachery?" Zelada asked.

"You leaked classified military plans not only to unauthorized civilians but to the frakking Cylons as well…so yeah I think that qualifies as treachery," Cruz shot at her in reply.

"I wasn't intending to betray anyone," Zelada said, her confident façade beginning to crack slightly.

"You could have caused the death of most of our military personnel, your brothers and sisters in arms. You took an oath, the same one all of us took, and you threw it away for reasons I cannot begin to comprehend!" Graystone said with a rising frustration.

Zelada shook her head, "It wasn't supposed to get that far."

"Tell me how far did you plan on this getting?" Cruz asked.

"It was just supposed to get the mission called off," Zelada said as she tried to get a hold of her emotions, "None of us wanted to die and this rescue operation is a suicide mission. We don't deserve to get sent to our deaths simply because some woman the Admiral of the Fleet frakked is being held prisoner!"

The two officers were quiet but their eyes showed just how angry they were at Zelada, finally without saying another word the two of the stood up.

"Think about this because the life you value so much is at stake, you need to tell us everything you know and perhaps you will live longer than most of us want you to," Graystone said before he left the room with Cruz behind him.

**Seven and a half months ago, the Day of the Fall: **

**Amarna, Canceron; Cygnus Medical Center: **

There were two women in Room 943 at Cygnus Medical Center; one of them was lying in a hospital bed connected to a group of monitors keeping track of her vital signs. The other sat in a chair by the bed keeping a silent vigil.

"I brought the paperwork you asked for," the woman in the chair said, wondering if the woman she worked for would hear it.

The eyes of the other woman fluttered open and she looked to see who was there, "Everything is ready then?"

"Yes it is Mrs. Zeresi," Armida Tasso said.

"The doctors said I don't have much time left, I want to make sure the transition is as smooth as possible," Lydia Zeresi said weakly. She was the leader of the Basileus crime syndicate, the group that ran the organized crime on Canceron as well as having its hand in several other 'businesses' across the twelve worlds. She had to fight her siblings to take over once her father, Carl Tolan, had passed away. She was determined that this time things would be different.

"I've sent word to your son to come by eleven o'clock this morning so you can give him the news personally," Tasso said. Zeresi was handing control of the Basileus over to Stuart Zeresi, her youngest son and the only one who was not in prison, so that there would be a line of succession in the crime family.

Tasso looked at her watch; it would not be long now until all this would be wiped away. She was a Number Six model, one who had been surgically altered so that she would have little resemblance to her sister models. This was necessary for her mission, she used the Basileus to smuggle her fellow Cylon models into the Twelve Colonies so that they would not be noticed. Thanks to the Basileus' political connections she had even managed to arrange for one of her sisters to gain access to Dr Gaius Baltar, the head of the Ministry of Defense's research department and a man who had direct access to the Colonial Defense mainframe.

"It won't be much longer," she said softly as she looked out the window at the Amarna cityscape. She saw an object streaking out of the sky heading towards the city. It had begun…

She watched the large explosion and saw the shockwave of the blast coming towards the hospital. She looked over at Lydia Zeresi but she did not need to hear the different alarms going off to know what had happened. The woman who had won the battle to be Carl Tolan's successor had passed away.

**Dia Griene Hotel, Present Day: **

Six jumped up in her bed and took in the surroundings of the room around her. Sitting up on the bed she looked around to find that she was back on Ostarsis in her room at the Dia Griene Hotel. She lay back down on the bed and took in several breaths to get the memory out of her mind. She hated to admit it but she had actually become fond of Lydia Zeresi and some of the people in the Tolan family. At first it had been simply camouflage for her real mission, but over time the lines became blurred. She had heard one of her sisters talking about the survival of the _Victorious_, which she hoped meant that Scott Tolan was still alive.

She got out of the bed and went to the sink to splash some cold water on her face, it seemed strange that even after the day when Amarna was destroyed by their nuclear weapons that she could still not rid herself of some of the memories and feelings from her time with the Basileus. She was no longer the surgically-disguised Number Six; she had her real body now. No longer was she Armida Tasso, but it seemed a part of her subconscious was not yet ready to accept that yet.

**Battlestar **_**Athena**_**, Wardroom:**

Tolan had decided to convene an emergency meeting of the Admiralty at 08:45, it was necessary now to revise Operation Downfall into a new plan that would hopefully keep the Cylons off guard whenever the attack on Ostarsis began. Operation Downfall – had he not uncovered this plot then that name might have had a new meaning for the Admiral from Canceron. Some might have found it foolish to even attempt it, but Tolan mentally brushed off any possible criticism. In his mind it was important to get those prisoners off of that moon before the Cylons killed them or worse.

The phone on the bulkhead began to ring, drawing him out of his moment of reflection, and he wondered what could be going on. He certainly was not ready for more excitement; there had been plenty of that already. He walked over and picked up the receiver, announcing he was on the line.

"Admiral Tolan, there is a call for you from the _Olympica_. It's Representative Gilliam," the communications officer informed him.

Tolan instinctively put a hand to his temple to massage it. The last person he ever expected a call from or even wanted to talk to was Aurelia Gilliam and yet here she was. He mentally joked that if he refused the call she would probably have him brought before another meeting of her committee to grill him over Gods-knew-what.

"Very well, put her on," Tolan said and after a familiar clicking noise he knew Gilliam was on the line.

"Admiral Tolan," Gilliam said though it sounded more like a question to him.

"Ms. Gilliam, this is a surprising development," he said as diplomatically as he could.

"I heard from a source of mine that your cousin was attacked, is that true?"

'Remind me to find out just who her source is and assign him to cleaning the heads on this ship,' he thought before responding, "Yes that's correct, two of the suspects are in custody pending a trial."

There was a laugh on the other end, "You're telling me you haven't gone ahead and had them executed?"

'The thought did cross my mind,' he thought before realizing he would only give her more ammunition to use against him, "They deserve to have their day in court, when their found guilty then they will be punished accordingly."

"If you only knew how little I believe that statement. It sounds to me like you've already found them guilty in your mind. Before you start trying to argue with me remember that I know how you are…more specifically I know 'who' you are. Admiral, you are the product of a family known for its criminality and cruelty. You can hide behind your uniform all you want, but I know beneath that exterior of yours beats the heart of a gangster. A flag rank and years of military training don't change who you are, and that is the grandson of Carl Tolan. No matter how many lives you have saved, no matter what you have done with your life before the Cylons attacked, no matter how nice of a family you may have started with your wife, and no amount of military decorations will change who you are and what was done in the name of your family. The stain of the Tolan name will never be washed away by either your actions or the ones of your cousin. I am sorry that she was attacked, but maybe she brought it on herself…or maybe the blame does lie squarely on your shoulders. Just some food for thought to go along with my condolences," Gilliam said with a voice that let it be known that she was smiling on her end of the call.

"Well Ms. Gilliam, here I was thinking you were going to hold back out of human decency. If that will be all I have some planning to do so I can do something that I know you will think is reckless and only being done for my personal glory," Tolan said before he placed the receiver back into its cradle on the bulkhead.

He walked back over to the wardroom table and looked over the pieces of paper that contained the plans for the revised Operation Downfall, a plan that would now be known by a new name: Operation Dragoon.

As expected, over the next half hour the rest of the Admiralty had gathered in the wardroom. Admiral Tyrone Carter, Vice Admiral Naomi Sakura, Rear Admiral James Brannigan, Rear Admiral Alera Cantu, Rear Admiral Antonio Ramos, Rear Admiral Albert Morton, and Rear Admiral Henry Haddock had taken their seats at the table while Tolan stood at the end next to a large projector that had yet to display something on the large screen in front of it. Admiral James Jonasson was absent from this meeting, it was decided that he should stay on _Victorious_ as a way to leave some continuity at the top of the military leadership in case the at-large members of the Praetorium were to try something.

"As you all know by now, our plan for Operation Downfall was leaked recently," Tolan began. There was a murmur among the admirals, none of it sounding all that pleasant.

"As a result of this," Tolan said as he tried to get the attention of his fellow flag officers, "I have taken the liberty of modifying our plan to hopefully throw the Cylons off balance and allow us to commence the rescue of the prisoners."

"What modifications have you made?" Morton asked.

"My first order of business involves our scout ships," Tolan said as he hit a button that powered up the projector. On it were the names of the five _Kopis_-class scout ships; the _Broadsword_, _Gladius_, _Saber_, _Scimitar_, and _Rapier_.

"Do you plan to deploy them to Ostarsis?" Sakura asked.

"Sort of," Tolan said before elaborating, "I'm tasking the _Broadsword_, _Scimitar_, and the _Gladius _to make a scouting run to Ostarsis. _Saber_ and _Rapier_ will undertake a scouting run to Picon and Scorpia."

"Why Scorpia and Picon?" Brannigan asked.

"Because Admiral Carter has volunteered to lead a decoy force in order to distract the Cylons and draw them away from Ostarsis. I'm going on the assumption that they have the plans and know that we're coming their way. If we can make them think we have a new objective then perhaps they can take the bait and give us the opening we need," Tolan said as he pressed a button to show the makeup of the frigates and corvettes assigned to the fleet, "We are hoping to modify them enough to create DRADIS shadows to give the impression that they're larger than they actually are. If they can lure enough of the Cylons from Ostarsis then we might have a chance."

"What about the crews on those ships?" Ramos asked.

"I've talked it over with the commanders of those ships," Carter said before adding, "The plan is to use the bare minimum of crew to make this happen."I've talked it over with the commanders," Carter said before adding, "the plan is to use the bare minimum of crew manned by volunteers – they know what is being asked of them. They have the volunteers already and the rest will be moved to the _Victorious_ and the _Achilles_ to help bulk up the crews of those two battlestars."

"That's all fine and good, but when do they leave?" Cantu asked.

"The ships are making ready to leave within the hour. They should be back in two to three hours; from there we'll have their data analyzed and go from there. I think this mission will take up to seventy-two hours or so before we begin the operation," Tolan said.

"So we're going to have two to three operations going on at the same time?" Haddock asked.

"If we think it will help we may send the _Victorious_, the _Achilles_, the _Maytoria_, and the _Neleus _to either Scorpia or Picon to create more confusion. Magnus Ah-Mun has assured me that the Eastern Alliance will be able to protect the civilian fleet if the Cylons were to show up. With the work they've done on their captured Cylon baseship and the ships of their fleet that they've kept they'll be more than able to handle an enemy force," Tolan said.

"With all due respect Admiral Tolan this seems like a huge risk, especially with our resources the way they are," Haddock said.

"That may be, but for the past seven...almost eight months we have been hiding from the Cylons and have been on the run since the day the Colonies fell. This is a chance for us to go on the offensive and show the Cylons we still have some fight in us. I know it may sound foolish, but I'm tired of running and even if it's just this one time I want to take the fight to them," Tolan said as he looked each of the admirals in the eye.

Finally he said, "That's all for now, when the time is right 'X-Day' for Operation Dragoon will commence. Make sure your crews are ready, we're going to need everyone at their best for this."

When the group had left the room, Tolan was alone once again and his mind began to think on what was to take place. It was a different feeling, for the past seven and a half months he had Kronus there to serve as sort of a safety net, someone who could guide him through the minefield he was in. Now it was just him and the weight of it began to weigh on him. Subconsciously, without even realizing it, his hand went to his collar and felt the Admiral pins attached to it. They had never felt this heavy before.

How much of a risk was he taking? He knew the answer already; this was by far the largest one since he revealed to the Cylons that his battle group had in fact survived the destruction of the Colonies. During his time at the Fleet Academy he had learned the rules of the Stryker Doctrine, a set of rules developed for fighting the Cylons that had been developed by Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker…and this operation was a reflection of Rule 11: War is a risk, if you are unwilling to take risks during the war then there is no point in fighting that war.

**Olympica Shuttle 16:**

There were ten of them in the small shuttle that was now en route to the freighter _Jauron_. Three of them were here from the special task force that had been commissioned; the seven were there for security purposes. They were made up of Marines who had been hand-selected by General Maxwell after he had been given a debriefing concerning the actions of the Praetorium.

"Mallory, are your Marines ready?" Mitchell Cain asked the officer in charge of the Marines.

"We're ready, whoever tries to give us trouble will regret it," Lieutenant Stacie Mallory said as she looked at the six Marines who had followed her. There were ten total on the task force, they provided extra protection for the task force. The other three were back on the _Olympica_ on guard duty.

"Glad to hear it, there's no telling what we'll find over there," Lieutenant Jessica Jennings said. She could not shake the feeling of nervousness she felt. She was certain there was something to be found on that ship but there was no guarantee they would find it or that they would even be safe over there trying to find it.

"Jennings, are you nervous?" Cain asked.

She came out of her thoughtful reverie long enough to look at him, "No, why do you ask?"

"Well you're left leg seems to be bouncing up and down like it's trying to work some energy out of it."

"Oh that's not nerves; I'm just finding this whole thing kind of exciting. I'm doing something besides being a Communications Officer."

"I hear you Malka…I mean Jennings," Cain said after realizing he had slipped and used the wrong name.

"Who's Malka?" she asked. This was the first time she had worked with anyone from the Ministry of Intelligence. The group had always fascinated her, primarily because she grew up in the city of Gray on Picon. The organization had always held sway over the population; some looked at it with intrigue while others feared it for its rumored activities that seemed to go well out of the boundaries of what was allowable in Colonial society.

"This young MoI officer I trained after she joined the agency. She was eager to learn and seemed to live off of the excitement that came with our missions, I trained quite a few agents and she left an impression on me," Cain said as his mind conjured up the image of the young woman who had just graduated college and had been recruited by the MoI.

"I take it she was lost in the Cylon attacks," Jennings guessed.

Cain shook his head, "No she was killed on a mission six years ago, there wasn't much information released about it so it became sort of a matter of conjecture. The truth is that I see a lot of her in you. You both have this energy that is contagious, and you have this enthusiasm about the job. I think Galit got a rush out of being out in the field doing the more hands-on work that comes with being a MoI agent. Since you came onboard the _Olympica_ to join this task force I sensed some of that in you. If you ask me Jennings, you might have missed your calling when you chose to go to the Fleet Academy."

"Perhaps I did but considering recent events this might be as close as I get. As for Malka, I think I'd have liked to have met her. It sounds like she was an agent you thought highly of," Jennings said as she figured that this was probably going to be all the information she would get in regards to the mysterious Galit Malka.

"Yes she was, I think out of all the agents I trained she was the one who reminded me the most of me. If that makes any sense," Cain said.

Jennings nodded her head, "Yes it does," she decided to try to change the subject, "What can you tell me about you? Your file isn't exactly overflowing with information."

Cain let a slight smile come to his lips, "I'm a Tauron by birth, I was raised in Tauron City and attended college at Temnos University in Caprica City. I majored in Communications and Business Management, but fate intervened when I was recruited by the MoI. I was sent to 'The Ranch' on Leonis and from there I started my career which lasted until the Basileus almost killed me."

"Did that affect the way you viewed Admiral Tolan?" she asked.

Cain shook his head, "Not really, I was sent to Virgon to deal with a section of the Basileus that was attempting to set up shop there and help the syndicate branch off into other colonies. Virgon was going to be a test run. My job was to assassinate the head of that group; a man by the name of Adam Lott, and all seemed to go well until Lott figured out who I was."

"How did he figure that out?" she asked.

"It was almost a year and a half before the Cylons attacked and I spent all that time trying to figure out what had happened. I had a suspicion that the Basileus had bought off someone in the MoI but I could never prove it."

"Do you think the person is still alive?"

"It'll be more merciful for the person who sold me out if they had died in the attacks," Cain said his voice losing some of the emotion it previously had.

**Scout Ship **_**Broadsword**_**: **

Lieutenant Colonel Marquis Serrano took his seat in the small CIC of the scout ship _Broadsword_, out of the five ships that made up his task force this was the one he had selected as the flagship. He had received his orders from the Admiralty, and it as much as he hated having to split his force up he understood the need for it.

"Trippe, patch me through to the _Rapier_," Serrano said to Ensign John Trippe, the Broadsword's communications officer.

Serrano picked up the phone and moments later heard the voice of Captain Alvin Duke, "Captain Duke, I'm sending over the orders for your ship and the _Saber_. You can also expect the arrival of two of the Tactical Officers from the _Colossus_. One will be onboard the _Rapier_ and the other will board the _Saber_, they'll be there to monitor the data you record on your mission."

"Very well sir, we'll be ready to leave as soon as they are onboard," Duke said and the connection was severed.

"That was easy," Serrano noted. He read the orders again and let out a sigh. They were being sent to Ostarsis for more recon, it seemed the leaking of the plans for the rescue mission had changed the dynamics of the operation considerably. Here he was being asked to send three of his ships to the Libran moon where if they were discovered there was no telling if they would be able to return from it or not.

It was an odd twist of fate that they had been spared the destruction of their home worlds. The five ships has been a part of the Thirty-Second Scout Flotilla, attached to the Tenth Fleet, when their FTL drives had been damaged due to faulty maintenance work. They had docked at Gaserill Station, a small depot for maintenance craft that was the location of a small dock for repair work on the smaller Colonial Fleet vessels. The station was officially a civilian facility and did not appear as an 'official' Colonial Fleet base. This was done to keep the station running while satisfying President Adar's mission to downsize the Fleet and its bases of operation.

"Cubit for your thoughts, sir?" Captain Derek Rodgers, his XO, asked.

"Thinking on the past few months, I think the Cylons either did not know the base was there or thought so little of us that they'd not waste their ammo," Serrano said.

"When you think about it, we had already reduced our crew complement down to fifty personnel and we were just five small scout ships. It was just our good fortune that the _Atlantia_ found us before we ran out of our food supplies," Rodgers said.

"Think of the people who were lost because we had to dock for maintenance, they went with the Tenth Fleet and died. It just makes you wonder about life sometimes."

"The way I look at it," Rodgers began, "the gods made life a gamble and we're still in the game."

Serrano nodded his head, "Good point, well enough dwelling on the past. When we get our new crewmember onboard we'll prepare to leave."

"Who are we welcoming onboard?" Rodgers asked.

"Ensign Jared Simons from the _Victorious_ is being assigned to us. Ensign Lawrence Jones from the _Helios_ is being sent over to the _Scimitar_ and the _Gladius_ is receiving Ensign Elijah Morgan from the _Indra_," Serrano said. There was a feeling of excitement at the prospect of what they might find at Ostarsis. It felt good to do something besides standing on the sidelines watching the larger vessels do all the work and get the glory. This was a chance to show how valuable the scout ships could be in this war against the Cylons.

_**Jauron:**_

"We have a hard seal," the pilot announced as he powered down shuttle.

"Alright, let's see what we can find here," Cain said before he turned to face the Marines, "If you see any of the people on here we're looking for remember that you are not to shoot to kill. If you see anything out of the ordinary let either Lieutenant Jennings or I know but make sure you are subtle about it."

When the Marines gave nods of understanding Cain stepped over and hit the button to open the airlock. There was a loud hiss as the door slid away to show a storage room of some sort with large crates of supplies. The room had a decidedly utilitarian look, with a lime green paint that seemed to be peeling in some places, the ceiling was a maze of white-painted pipes that went through the bulkheads to some unknown destination. It looked as though the ship was old and showing its age. The air inside even tasted old whenever it was inhaled, as though it had not changed from the moment the ship had first been built years ago.

Mallory stepped through along with three of her Marines, standing with two to the left of the airlock and two to the right.

"Welcome aboard the Jaruon," Dante Solis said as he walked up to greet his guests.

"Mitchell Cain," Cain said as he shook Solis' hand.

"Jessica Jennings," Jennings said as she offered Solis a handshake. Instead he took her hand gave it a kiss before releasing it.

"You'll have to forgive the state of things; we're normally a freighter designed solely for hauling goods around the Colonies. Due to the Cylon attacks we've had to make some impromptu accommodations for the refugees we picked up when we escaped from Gemenon," Solis said as he swept his arm around the storage room as though to highlight his point.

"You've seem to be doing well for yourself considering the circumstances," Cain said.

"We do what we can, why exactly am I getting paid a visit?" Solis asked.

"We are looking for three fugitives and we are required to search every vessel in the fleet. This in no way reflects upon your, just happens that the _Jauron_ drew the short straw," Jennings said which was in fact a lie. She suspected there was something going on with this ship and she hoped that this would get to the bottom one way or another.

"I see…well in that case allow me to give you a tour of my humble ship. I can assure you that there are no people here who should not be here. You can also leave your Marines here, I can assure you they won't be necessary," Solis said as he motioned for one of the people with him to open the hatch so they could exit to the corridor.

"I think we'll keep our people with us if it's all the same to you," Cain said, his eyes were fixed on Solis' in a way that dared the man to argue with him.

There was a moment when neither moved, a moment that seemed to stretch for an eternity. Jennings thought she saw Solis' eyes narrow until he finally nodded his head.

"Very well, I hope you don't mind the crowded corridors. We're doing the equivalent of fitting the round peg into the square hole," Solis said.

"I think we'll be able to keep that in mind Mr. Solis," Jennings said before Cain could say something. For a moment she swore her tone of voice sounded like a cross between the command voices of Scott Tolan and Andre Graystone, only decidedly more feminine.

The group left the storage room and made their way down the corridor. The Jauron looked to be a ship in need of some serious TLC. The walls were painted with a dull green color that looked like it belonged somewhere during the Cylon War era and had not been updated or even kept up well. They passed several areas that had been converted into living areas, in some places there were bunks arranged against the bulkheads while others simply had people sleeping on makeshift mattresses or sleeping bags. It did in fact seem as though Solis was making the best he could with what he had on hand.

When they reached the end of the corridor Cain asked Jennings to consult the map of the ship to see which way they would head to next.

A little boy who looked to be around the age of seven or eight came running up and wrapped his arms around Jennings in a large hug before looking up at her with a pair of eyes that seemed to hold her in the reverence one would have for an angel.

"Want to come see where my family lives?" he asked as he took a hold of her hand.

Jennings knelt down, "I would love to but I have some business to take care. I promise though, the first chance I get I will come by to visit."

She tried to fight the surge of emotion that seemed to well up in her, she found herself reminded of her family back home. They were all gone now; she remembered her last leave when she had gone home to Gray to see her family. It was the first time she had held her baby brother, he was a surprise her parents had not expected but her and her brothers could not have been happier with a sibling. She looked at this boy and thought of how little Samuel Jennings would never get to be that age or experience the life that had been so cruelly ripped from him.

"You promise?" the boy asked hopefully.

Jennings smiled at him and fought a wave of tears that threatened to stream from her eyes, "I promise. Now, why don't you go back to see your parents?"

She wanted to keep her composure; this was a time when she could have used one of her two older brothers to give her that extra bit of strength.

"Ok, see you when come back!" the boy called out as he ran back to the room where he lived with his family.

"Cute kid," Cain said.

"Yeah," Jennings said and then she realized there was something in her hand. She opened it and saw that there was a small piece of paper, something that had been put there by the little boy. She opened it and had to use every last ounce of will power to not scream out in shock. The note simply said, _**'Help us!'**_


	9. Chapter 9: Cometh the Hour

_**Chapter Nine: Cometh the Hour**_

_**Ostarsis:**_

Darius James took the lead of the small search group he had taken with him from the Kria Bunker.

The discovery of the Major Larsen Banks, Lieutenant Samuel Nicholas, and Ensign Paul Stryker had been a spot of good news.

Now, however, they needed to forage for whatever supplies they could find and gather whatever intelligence they could on the movements of the Cylons.

"Do you think we'll find anything out here?" Sophia Tolen, a cadet from the Fleet Academy, asked.

"Even if we just get some idea of what the toasters are up to it'll be an improvement," Emil Velghe said.

"True enough, alright…no unnecessary conversations," James said to the group.

Apart from Tolen and Velghe, he also had twin brothers Joseph and Jayson Sharpe and Nazih Mirza making up the rest of the group.

He found it interesting that he was the one in command of this group.

Tolen was being groomed to be an officer in the Colonial Fleet and Mirza was an engineer and electrician who had served on various battlestars during his time in the Colonial Fleet.

Velghe had served as a security officer at the Genesis Orbital Facility above Aerilon.

The Sharpe brothers were civilians who were on Ostarsis on a break from Ian Cartwright University on Virgon.

It seemed as though their time spent in the Kria Bunker had made it possible for them to follow orders from him, a pirate whose loyalty had been to the Eastern Alliance for quite some time.

James took note of the sunlight and saw that it seemed to have started to fade; it might not be a bad idea to call it a day and head back to the bunker.

"Halt!" a voice called out to his left.

"Don't fire unless you see a Cylon," James instructed the squad.

"Put down your weapons and your group won't be harmed," replied the voice.

"You put down your weapons and you won't be harmed," James yelled back, as his search group took up a defensive position.

"Last chance, lay down your weapons."

James was about to say something else, when he realized that he was surrounded by a larger group.

"Everyone lay down your weapons," James said, as he dropped his rifle to the ground. The others followed.

A few seconds later, a man walked out of the woods toward the group. He was wearing a camouflage uniform with an insignia that James did not recognize. He carried himself in a no-nonsense manner. It seemed as though walking towards a group that armed itself with assault rifles did not faze him. He seemed to be in his late thirties with close-cropped brown hair. He got close enough to James so that he could speak without having to raise his voice too much and said, "You look lost."

"You look like a stranger, who are you?" James asked.

The man laughed, "Don't get an attitude with me, boy; I have eighty-five men in these woods with guns pointed at you and your friends, you go first."

"I'm Darius James; I'm on a recon mission."

"I see. Who are these people you have with you, James?"

"With me are Sophia Tolen, Emil Velghe, Jayson and Joseph Sharpe, and Nazih Mirza. I'm under the command of Commander Bridget Woods of the Colonial Fleet. She's been running a resistance cell since we escaped from the Cylons."

"What about you, there's nothing about your behavior that says Colonial Fleet?"

"I'm Eastern Alliance."

"A pirate, I've taken out a few of you before."

"Then that would mean you are Colonial Special Forces?" asks James.

"Very good, James. I would give you a gold star if I had any on me. I am Major Darren Clay; I'm the leader of Delta Force Squadron Five – the Blue Bombers." Everyone in the group was speechless when there heard the mention of Delta Force.

"Well, what now?" Joseph Sharpe asked which only served to get him an evil look from James.

"Please follow me," replied Major Clay as he turned to head back to the woods. He turned and faced the group, "I recommend you not keep my team waiting. You wouldn't like them when they get impatient."

After a few minutes of walking through the woods, they reached the gaping mouth of a cavern. With the dense foliage and trees of the forest, it provided ample cover from the prying eyes of the Cylons. The group silently walked through and made their way inside. The walls were lined with lights with no apparent power source. They reached the entrance of a larger cave; there was a large hole in the roof that allowed the natural sunlight to light the interior. There were lights similar to the ones seen at the entrance lying out in the sunlight. It seemed as though the lights were solar powered

After everyone had gone inside of the cave, Clay said, "James, pleases follow me. Everyone else stay here." Then the two men walked into a smaller cave that served as Clay's 'office'.

"Nice office," James said with a laugh.

"Best we can do under the circumstances."

"How many men do you have here?" James asked.

"First thing you need to remember is that I ask the questions but I'll humor you and answer yours. I have one hundred and fifteen here with me. Now it's your turn, where's the rest of your group located?"

"We have been hiding in the Kria Bunker."

"I had heard rumors that it was located somewhere around here, I'm glad to see our side found it. How many people are there?"

"I don't really know an exact number but it is a large group. The good thing for us is that the bunker was planned to house up to twenty thousand people for a period of six to eight months. How did your group get here?"

"What did I said about who would be asking the questions?"

"Sorry," replied James, with the look of a kid with his hand in the cookie jar.

"How did you get here?"

"I was captured and brought here. Then several prisoners, myself included, escaped with Commander Woods."

"What can you tell me about Commander Woods?" Clay asked.

"She was the CO of the _Battlestar Kios_. The Cylons managed to disable her ship and capture her and some of her crew; we found a good portion of them from the prison camps we raided. She was one of three leaders the resistance had, along with a Colonial Army officer and a Colonial Air Force officer. They were killed in a Cylon attack and now she has sole command."

"The Blue Bombers and several other Special Forces were heading for a training area on Aphrodite's moon of Sibiryakov when the attack started. Our ship was damaged and we were forced to land on Ostarsis. When the Cylon took the moon, we headed to the woods to avoid being caught and since then we've been hiding and fighting the Cylons.

"Can I ask a question now?"

Clay chuckled, "James that is a question. Go ahead and ask."

"How have you done against them?"

"We've hit them when we can and have inconvenienced them enough. They probably would love to get their hands on us; after all we've put them through. Tell me your story, how'd you end up with the Eastern Alliance?"

"I grew up on Virgon, ran the streets of Boskirk with the Machen Renegades. One day I was offered a chance to join the Eastern Alliance. I had been in trouble with the police a couple of days earlier and thought it would give me the perfect chance to get off-world and try something different with my life."

"I think it worked out for you in a way. You may not have been here if you hadn't have joined the Alliance," Clay checked his watch to see what time it is, "Let's go meet your Commander Woods and start getting to leave this rock."

Three Days Later:

_**Olympica: **_

_**Olympica Security Briefing Room: **_

"I've spoken with both Governor Rush and Admiral Tolan, our operation has been green-lit," Mitchell Cain said to the group of people that made up his task force.

"I take it we're going to be making a move soon?" Karin Briggs asked.

Cain nodded, "We have the Marines and ourselves, I think we have a great chance of accomplishing our objective."

"Are you sure the people we're looking for are on the _Jauron_?" Rhoda Davis asked.

This time it was Lieutenant Jessica Jennings who responded, "Our information points to that. Besides, we have Solis himself confirming that he's harbouring the fugitive members of the Praetorium."

"How did that happen?" Lyndon Ewing asked.

"Simple enough," Cain said before adding, "I studied the plans of the _Jauron_ and saw where the schematics labelled the location of the Commanding Officer's Quarters. Well, right by there is a small conference room the ship's captain can use for meeting with the subordinates. A well-placed bug in each room was enough to provide us with all of the intelligence we needed to confirm our suspicions about Solis."

"What about the crew?" Rhoda Davis asked.

"We hacked into the _Jauron_'s database and have retrieved private logs detailing how they are in league with Solis," Cain replied. The past three days had been spent gathering exhaustive intelligence on Solis and the crew of his ship. The people arrested in the assault of Ensign Lacey Tolan had also proved useful; it seemed they were interested in spilling their secrets if it meant they could be spared the wrath of Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan.

"How will we board the ship?" Angelique Simone asked.

"I've discussed that with Lieutenant Jennings," Cain said as he pressed a button to turn on the display screen behind him.

Stepping to the side he waited as a diagram of the _Jauron_ came up on the screen.

"We've identified four airlocks that we believe will be ideal for boarding the _Jauron_. We can deploy our four teams to take Engineering, Navigation, Environmental, and Living Quarters. That way we can keep the ship from jumping away or venting atmosphere in order to harm us or the hostages," Cain said as the diagram began to blink in the spots where the airlocks were located.

_**Olympica Loading Bay 9:**_

There were four Raptors from the _Victorious_ present for the operation. The pilots for the operation were Lieutenant Rachel Noble, Ensigns Roxanne Tanner, Rashad Dalton, and Desmond Turner. Off to the right were the ten Marines on loan to the task force from the _Victorious,_ led by Lieutenant Stacie Mallory, standing ready for the transport over to the _Jauron_.

The door opened and in walked Mitchell Cain, Jessica Jennings, Karin Briggs, Rhoda Davis, Lyndon Ewing, Reyna Soto, Angelique Simone, Avery Rhodes, Maleko Akoni, Ari Gevorg, Cheng Li, Shirin Parisa, Eva Vartan and Enrique Carrillo. The MoI officer, the Colonial Fleet officer, and the members of _Olympica_ Security were dressed in what seemed a mix of military attire and SWAT gear. All of them were expecting a fight and were prepared accordingly.

"Colonel Cain," Mallory said as she walked up to where Cain was standing.

"Haven't been called 'Colonel' in some time," Cain said. In the Ministry of Intelligence, officers carried a military style rank starting with Lieutenant that went all the way up to Colonel. From then on, they are known as Directors.

"In another world I may have actually become a Director," Cain said before mentally kicking the thought to the side. "How are your Marines?"

"They're ready for the operation, Sir. Just give the word and we'll board our respective Raptors."

"We're ready for this, let's board the Raptors and get out over there," Cain said. He would lead one of the teams of six that would board the _Jauron_. Mallory, Karin Briggs, and Lyndon Ewing would lead the others. Jessica Jennings would be on Cain's team. While he had faith that the Colonial Fleet officer could lead if given the chance, it seemed a ship-boarding was something she was not yet ready for.

_**Colossus**_**:**

_**Ship's Chapel:**_

Admiral of the Fleet Scott Tolan walked into the chapel and found a seat where he could be to himself. It would not be long now until they commenced the rescue mission to Ostarsis.

After the dream he had not even more than an hour and a half ago he felt the need to go to a place where he could get some solace. He hoped that the chapel of the _Colossus_ would give him what he was hoping to find.

He found a seat near the back and bowed his head, not in prayer to the gods but instead composing his thoughts and trying to make sense of what he had just dreamt.

"Mind if I join you, Admiral?" Wilfred Parker, the chaplain of the _Colossus_ asked as he took a seat beside Tolan.

"I don't see a problem with it this time around," Tolan said.

"Thank you, I could tell that something is troubling you even if you don't telegraph it well," Parker said.

"It's this mission, is it a matter of my own personal choice or is it simply fate?"

"Fate is a funny thing, you of all people should know about that," Parker said.

Tolan arched an eyebrow, "Care to elaborate on that?"

"It's clear to me that we all react differently to life's situations and you are no exception," Parker began.

"How so?" Tolan asked.

"I'm sure growing up you recognized your fate and did what you could to alter it," Parker said.

Tolan's mind immediately went to the night his brother Andrew was murdered, "How do you know anything about my past?"

"Your friend, Mark Ladon, sent me over his notes when you transferred your flag here. He told me it would help to understand you better whenever you came to the chapel to commune with the gods."

'That was awfully nice of him,' Tolan thought before he said, "When I was twelve my older brother was gunned down by a group of my grandfather's people who wanted to take over the family business. After that, I was sent off to the high school Abry Military Academy had established on Canceron. I suppose after that I did what I could to make sure I did not become a crime boss."

"I'm sure the expectations were enough to crush a person whenever you graduated from the Fleet Academy," Parker said.

Tolan nodded, "I suppose you could say that I managed to defy those early expectations of me, in the cases where the expectations were raised high I did what I could to meet them."

"I think the constant with you is that you've been true to yourself, Admiral. I think so far since the Cylon attack you have done what you've had to when you've had to. You have managed to react instead of freezing with uncertainty. That is what's made you successful so far," Parker said.

"Any other pearls of wisdom?"

"Just one, be careful about the choices you make. Sometimes they have a way of coming back to haunt you."

_**Raptor 519:**_

Mitchell Cain took his eyes away from the armada of ships that passed by as the Raptor made its way towards the _Jauron_. He took in the sight of the six people who made up his team for the boarding party. Lieutenant Jessica Jennings, Angelique Simone, Avery Rhodes, Maleko Akoni, and Shirin Parisa each had a look of deep concentration on their faces. If all went well, they would make it out of here in one piece and pull the mission off flawlessly.

"This is our big moment," Jennings said as she walked up to where Cain was seated.

"Yeah it is, it's been some time since I was on a mission like this," Cain said

.

"Have time to give me some details on it?"

"It was six years ago. The MoI had received word that the Eastern Alliance was operating out in the space around Caprica. We took a decommissioned freighter, the _Banerjee_, and turned it into a honey trap to lure the Alliance out to where we could capture the person responsible."

"You were going to capture Magnus Ah-Mun?"

Cain shook his head, "Magnus Ah-Mun is a smart man, and he would have never fallen for it. The person responsible for this was a young lieutenant of his named Anton Silva; he was hoping to skyrocket up the ranks by sheer number of ships he plundered."

"What happened?"

"We fitted the ship out and we took our MoI lieutenants to pose as the crew of the ship. I led an assault team that was hidden in a cargo hold and once we knew we had the pirates we would systematically take out the Alliance boarding party and hopefully disable the ship so that it would be unable to move away."

"I take it the plan worked," Jennings said; it seemed obvious to her since Cain was here.

"We captured Silva and the ship. It proved to be an intelligence coup and we began to get a better picture of Magnus Ah-Mun as a man and leader. He became less of a mysterious figure to us, maybe in time we would have brought him to justice."

"For what it's worth Cain, I feel more comfortable being on your team than I would on one of the other three."

"Thank you Lieutenant, I'll make sure we all make it out of this," Cain said as he turned to look out the window at the form of the _Jauron_ in the distance. They were getting closer. He just had to wait for Lieutenant Noble to take them to the airlock they would use to board the freighter.

The section of the _Jauron_ that was marked 'Living Quarters' was where he focused his mind on the mental map he had formed after studying the diagram of the ship. This was where he was sure Solis would be at this time of the day. If he was not there, then he could at least free the people who had been living there since the Fall of the Colonies seven and a half months ago.

'Solis, I am going to enjoy taking you down,' Cain thought to himself with no small amount of satisfaction at the thought.

He looked and saw the _Jauron_ coming closer. He had done his research on the vessel. The _Jauron _was a forty-six year old cargo freighter of the _Saidor_-class. It had served the Colonial Fleet until the Cylon War ended, upon which it was sold into commercial service where it had stayed until it was decommissioned and bought by another shipping company. Now it was about to be boarded by a combined military and civilian force.

At last, the Raptor was coming to the airlock it was supposed to attach itself to in order for his group to board the _Jauron_. This particular airlock was on C-Deck aft of Frame 15.

"We have a hard seal with the airlock; shall we attempt to open it?" Noble asked from the pilot's seat.

"Negative, we don't need to trip any alarms," Cain said as he fished a small piece of equipment out of his pocket. It was L-shaped and the bottom part was designed to slide into the card slot on the airlock's door.

"What's that going to do?" Jennings asked.

"It's going to override the security alert on the airlock." It was something the MoI's Team 119, the name given to the Ministry's Research and Development Lab had developed.

"Do the other teams have those?" Jennings asked.

Cain nodded. "I was able to fashion some during a visit to the Shamrock Bay."

"That's one of those ships that was with Hyde's people, am I right?"

Cain nodded, "It's not officially classified as such but it's an electronics research vessel."

"You were able to convince them to let you create some secret MoI tech?"

This time Cain gave her a sly smile, "There are some perks to being an MoI officer."

"It would appear so," Jennings said and the thought hit her that even with their civilization practically gone some things simply stayed the same. It seemed to be especially true when it came to the reputation carried by the Ministry of Intelligence.

Cain walked over and within a minute, the airlock hissed and began to open, revealing a small room with nobody inside of it.

He activated the wireless piece of the helmet he was wearing and motioned for his group to do the same.

Moments later they were onboard the _Jauron_ and ready to subdue the crew in the living quarters of the ship.

_**Raptor 379:**_

Stacie Mallory looked at the five Marines with her and felt a sense of pride. Sergeant Joseph McIntosh had been her right hand on Victorious for the past year and she trusted him to keep the four other members of the team in order. The rest of the team consisted of Corporals Bryon Underwood, Gerald Patton, Christa Romero, and Private Serena Rodriguez. Seven and a half months ago, they were on the _Victorious_ with the routine life of being on a battlestar. Now the Cylons had attacked and they were finding themselves in the midst of a ship boarding that could turn ugly on the flip of a cubit. For all they had been through though, Mallory trusted her Marines to get the job done.

"Remember, Marines," she began, "you are using magazines of non-lethal tranquilizers. Make sure you target the crew and not the civilians. You've seen the pictures of Solis and the officers that are onboard his ship. If you see them, shoot first and ask questions later. We may be using non-lethal force but I can assure you they won't be."

She looked to the pilot's seat where Ensign Desmond Turner manoeuvred the Raptor past the library ship Gabriel Laurent and she could not help but wonder if the _Jauron_ had been armed somehow with weapons that Cain may not have been aware of when he planned this operation.

Checking the pocket of her Battle Dress Uniform, she felt for the device that Cain had given her before they had left the _Olympica_. He had given her a quick lesson in how to use it, and it was simple enough that it should not give her any major issues. Surprise was essential for this to work.

Engineering was their goal for this operation, to subdue the crew in that department and prevent them from possibly enabling the jump drive so Solis could jump the _Jauron_ to some unknown destination. Six trained Marines could get the job done; at least that was her view on the subject.

_**Raptor 471:**_

Karin Briggs and Rhoda Davis were seated near the front of the Raptor, situated near where Ensign Rashad Dalton was silently guiding the Raptor to the location on the _Jauron_ where it would dock.

Davis looked back at the four Marines, "They seem to be taking this more seriously than we are."

"I can't say that I blame them," Briggs said before adding, "Solis is keeping human shields on his ship and is harbouring traitors as well. I think that fact is making it personal for them.

Corporal Jackson Clarke and Privates Randall Mercado, Ryan Saunders, and Kaye Parker were having a conversation amongst themselves. Mainly it involved getting a hold of the three Colonial Fleet officers who had been members of the subversive group known as 'The Praetorium'.

Environmental was their target, it was important to make sure that Solis and his people were unable to vent the atmosphere or put a toxin in the air that could kill them or the hostages.

_**Raptor 534:**_

Lyndon Ewing and Cheng Li were sitting in the rear of the Raptor among the four Marines that were part of the boarding team.

"Alright people, hang on…we're going to cut between two ships here in a moment," Ensign Roxanne Tanner as she zipped the Raptor through a space between the passenger liner _Ventura_ and the agro ship _Padilla_.

Corporals Edith Holman, Annette Cline, Curtis Knapp, and Drew Hampton exchanged concerned looks with one another as though the passing by the two ships had been too close for their liking.

Their job was to take over the Navigation section of the _Jauron_, to keep the ship from being rammed into another ship in the fleet or something else along those lines.

"Do you think Solis has something planned?" Li asked.

Ewing was silent for a moment as he pondered the question, "From everything we have on Solis, there's little I think he wouldn't do. This is about his survival, if we've learned anything from the past seven months is that people will do whatever they have to in order to survive."

"I feel safer with four Marines with us than other members of O-Sec," Li said, using the nickname given to _Olympica_ Security.

"Not everyone on our team has training for this type of thing. I know the majority of us are former police but this is more like a SWAT operation," Ewing said.

"It's funny before I got accepted for the job on the _Olympica_ I was a small town police officer."

Ewing decided to give into his curiosity, "Where are you from Li?"

"Montevallo, it's located on Picon. What about you?"

"I'm from Antinopolis on Caprica. I had started out in the Colonial Army and when I realized I wasn't going to go far in a peacetime force I got out and went into law enforcement."

The two men were quiet for the remainder of the travel to the _Jauron_.

_**Ostarsis: **_

_**Dia Griene Hotel, East Wing: **_

Like many of the large hotels that dotted the landscape of Ostarsis, the former playground of the Twelve Colonies' rich and famous, the Dia Griene Hotel was composed of various sections that made up the whole complex. The Cylons had invaded the Libran moon and established it as a base of operations as well as a prison camp where the survivors of their attack would serve other purposes for the seven Cylon models.

There was one high-value prisoner that was kept in the hotel as opposed to being sent to a camp. This was because of how highly-placed he was in the Colonial military. He was kept in the Leopold Conference Room on the third floor of the hotel's east wing.

At present there was a Five and a Six 'questioning' the prisoner to find out information on the latest development…the impending assault on by Admiral Scott Tolan. They had no doubt they could hold off his force of Colonial Fleet remnants, but the last thing needed was more surprises.

One opened the door to the conference room and saw the prisoner still strapped to an operating table that had been brought from a nearby hospital. He was still wearing his blue duty uniform and looked like he had been through hell, a trademark of the Five's interrogation tactics. They pushed hard, but tended to do what they could to not kill their prisoner.

"One, what brings you here?" Six asked as she rounded a corner and entered the room.

"Wanted to check on our guest, where's Five?"

"He decided to call it a day before he got frustrated and killed him," she said. She had seen similar things done in her life as a member of the Basileus on Canceron. As Armida Tasso she had served as the top assistant to Lydia Zeresi, Scott Tolan's aunt and the leader of the Basileus crime syndicate.

"All for the best, I need to have a word alone with our guest. Do not disturb me," he said and when she walked away he entered the room and closed the door.

"Are you awake?" he asked.

The officer opened his eyes and glared at him, "I think you can tell."

"Yes I can, so you still have yet to give up any information. How noble," One said as he moved closer to the operating table.

"You think I'm going to break for you…how cute," the man said.

"Admiral Corman you really are a stubborn one," One said. Fleet Admiral Peter Corman had been pulled from the wreckage of Picon Fleet Headquarters. To the astonishment of the Cylons he was very much still alive. They treated his injuries and when he was well enough they began to interrogate him.

"I have received some interesting news, it seems Scott Tolan is planning to attack us, is there anything you'd like to say about that?"

Corman was silent at first but then he smiled, "If Scott Tolan is coming for you then you might want to put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye."

One wanted to strangle him and put the human out of his misery once and for all, but he wanted to leave him alive so he could see Tolan's attack fail. When that was done he would personally see to Corman's death.

He turned and headed out of the conference room, the sound of Corman's mocking laughter filling his ears.

_**Ostarsis, Kria Bunker:**_

Colonial Army Major Darren Clay looked over the plans that Commander Bridget Woods had developed for the upcoming rescue operation. She had put all of the strategy sessions she had attended at the Fleet Academy to use to devise a plan that would allow for the safe evacuation of all fifteen thousand plus prisoners.

Clay and his special forces group had been discovered three days ago when Darius James, a member of the Eastern Alliance who was one of her trusted lieutenants, led a recon group to gather intelligence on the Cylon forces. Instead, he came across Squadron Five of the Colonial Army's Delta Force. Clay and his squadron, known as the Blue Bombers, were willing to leave their hideout in the field and join Woods in the Kria Bunker. The time spent since then had its share of difficulties. Mostly was the problem of giving Clay control over the military planning while allowing Woods to have some authority and not be somewhat of a figurehead.

"If you don't mind me saying Commander, it's a good thing I came along to help you out," Clay said as he put down the papers detailing Woods' plan.

"Why's that?" she asked.

"I can tell you've studied tactics and have some idea of what you're doing out there but I think your plan needs the refinement that an Army officer can bring to it. You're probably great with battlestar tactics but I think you need to learn a bit more about how to coordinate a battle on land."

"Well then Major, please don't hold back. Tell me how you really feel," Woods said, exasperated.

"I wish I could afford to let you down gently but there are lives at stake here," Clay began before adding, "You can handle the running of the daily operations of the bunker while I coordinate the training and deployment of the military assets. From what you've told me, Tolan is going to bombard the surface in order to soften up the Cylon forces. "

Woods nodded, "Yes, he wants to destroy as much of the Cylon ground forces as he can before he lands his forces."

"A combination of Army and Marine soldiers…that's going to make for an interesting sight," Clay said with a laugh.

Woods had to laugh as well, "I'm hoping they'll wait until they're off the planet with us before they try to kill each other."

"Indeed, well, with that taken care of I'll start modifying your plan into something I think will work better for our purposes," Clay said before turning and leaving the room.

The door opened and in walked Major Larsen Banks, Cadet Sophia Tolen, Ensign Angela Rigel, and Neveah Ratliff.

"How did that go?" Ratliff asked.

"I think we managed to find a happy medium that should get us through the next few days," Woods said as she took a seat at her desk.

"If you don't mind elaborating, what qualifies as a happy medium?" Banks asked.

"He's going to oversee the military side of things while I keep the bunker running nice and smoothly. It's not a perfect plan but it's at least a plan," Woods said, as she looked over the itineraries from her various department heads.

"I would have thought you'd push for more of a say in the battle plan," Rigel said and felt embarrassed that she did not catch herself from making the statement.

"Right now it's just nice to have some help with making things run here. Let's just say that unless my name is Jonas Stryker then he's not going to budge a whole lot," Woods said. If there were a Colonial Fleet officer who could get the leader of a Special Forces group to follow orders it would be the legendary Fleet Admiral Stryker.

"I'm glad you have some authority Commander, after all you've done here it's something you deserve," Banks said.

"Thank you, 'Magic'," Woods said using Banks' call sign before adding, "I need you to head down to the gymnasium where I'm sure more physical training drills await. Cadet Tolen, you stay behind for now."

The three left the room and Tolen took a seat.

"What can I do for you Commander?" she asked.

Woods smiled at her, "You're handling this situation much better than I imagined you would."

"What do you mean?"

"Come now, you know exactly what I am referring to."

Tolen was quiet momentarily before she realized it was pointless to keep up the charade, "If my family knew what was going on I'd have some serious explaining to do."

"That's what I figured. I know all about the blood feud that's been raging all this time between your family and the Tolans. It's like a civil war on steroids, or at least something you'd find in some epic drama."

"That's the thing about it, I don't know if I can put that to rest just yet. Knowing that it's Admiral Tolan coming to rescue us just makes me feel sick to my stomach."

Woods nodded understandably, "I can somewhat understand how you feel, but right now I think that would be the least of your concerns. Is it so important to keep your hostility burning?"

"You don't know what it was like on Canceron, it's not something I can get over with a snap of the fingers," Tolen protested.

"I can understand that one. When it comes to something that you've been so emotionally invested in for so long…it can be hard to move on."

"You sound like you can understand how I feel," Tolen said.

"To an extent I can, I just need to know that once we get off of this moon that you will be able to conduct yourself in a manner befitting an officer of the Colonial Fleet."

"I wish I could say I could, it's going to take time…I need to know that Admiral Tolan won't do something terrible to me because of our family feud."

"I have worked with Scott Tolan for quite some time and he's not that kind of man. Truthfully, I think he feels the same way about the Basileus as you do."

"I know if there is an afterlife then I don't know if my family will look at me doing this and think I've betrayed them."

"The Cylons have wiped out our homes and killed an untold number of our people. Right now, I think survival takes a higher priority over grudges. Promise me, especially if I don't make it out of here, that you will do what you can to put this feud behind you."

Tolen stood and locked eyes with Woods, "I promise I'll try…Commander. I respect you enough to at least try to."

"Cadet Tolen that is really all I can ask of from you."

_**Colossus,**__**CIC:**_

Tolan walked into the CIC where Commander Dorian Mercer and Colonel Anna Wong were standing at the Command and Control Station going over the last minute preparations for the jump to Ostarsis.

"Admiral on deck!" Mercer called out as the CIC stood to attention.

"As you were," Tolan said before walking over to where Mercer and Wong stood.

"Admiral Tolan, the ship is ready to jump on your orders," Mercer said

.

Tolan looked at the Commanding Officer of the _Colossus_ and his XO and wondered if they were nervous about the upcoming mission. This was different from the encounter they had with the Cylons, the one in which the _Colossus'_ sister ship _Geryon_ was lost, and the odds were that it would be decidedly more intense.

"Will you be coordinating the fleet from the Flag CIC?" Mercer asked.

"That was my intention," Tolan said. Like the _Galactica_, the _Colossus_ had a cavernous CIC; there were a few key differences. The second level of the CIC, known as the Core, was where the access to the Flag facilities was located. It was from this small area of rooms that Tolan would be able to coordinate the fleet during the battle. The set of rooms included a flag CIC, a small conference room, and various other rooms that would allow Tolan to lead his battle group effectively.

"Admiral on deck," Ensign Lucien Whitfield, Tolan's aide, announced upon Tolan's entrance through the sliding glass doors of the Flag CIC.

"As you were," Tolan said as he walked over to the Command and Control Station. In a matter of minutes, he would give the order for the jump to Ostarsis.

_Battlestar Athena_:

"Does that hurt?" Ensign Lynsie Medford asked as she helped her friend put on her uniform jacket.

"Would you think I was being a baby if I said it hurt?" Ensign Lacey Tolan said.

"As a matter of fact I would," Medford teased as Lacey shot her a dagger-like glare.

"I'm glad to see you still have your sparkling personality," Lacey said, drawing a laugh from both of them.

"Going by what we've been hearing it seems we're going into battle soon," Medford said as she attached one of Lacey's pips to her collar.

"Just between us it's real; the only problem is that I'm still grounded," Lacey still had not been cleared for flight ops by the ship's doctor.

"You just go over to the _Solace_ and stay there and I'll shoot down some toasters for both of us," Medford said with a smile.

"You are coming back after this," Lacey told her.

"After everything we survived on Picon up to now…you bet I'm not going to let myself get killed in my first battle. That's just insulting."

"I'm sure Chris has already loaded my stuff onto the Raptor," Lacey said as she checked herself in the mirror to make sure her uniform was up to standard.

"You do realize you get to rehabilitate on the _Solace_, not too harsh an assignment, if you ask me," Medford said as the two left the room that she and Lacey had called home for a brief period after their training on the _Maytoria_ had ended.

"I wish I could be there, but you already know that," Lacey said as though she were driving the point home a bit more.

"Maybe it's the fact that a certain member of the Admiralty will not let you fly again until you're fully healed."

Lacey shook her head, "I guess I worry that he's being so overly protective of me."

"Listen Lace, from what you've told me the two of you have been more like brother and sister than cousins. I am sure he felt he had lost you when Picon was nuked. Besides, I don't think he's being overly protective."

"What makes you say that?"

"I think the fact that he was willing to let you finish your Viper training and then take a posting on a battlestar says something. He's allowed you to serve on a ship that's on the front line of this war instead of putting you in some desk assignment where you won't see action."

"I never really looked at it like that," Lacey said, suddenly feeling regret at thinking she was being smothered or treated like a kid.

"That's why I earn the big money. When you get to the _Solace_ I'll have my bill waiting for you."

Lacey gave Medford a playful punch in the arm. "Just like I told you back on Picon when we had these talks, put it on my tab."

"I guess it's not all bad. I get to spend time with Emily and the triplets, not to mention that my doing this frees you up to kill all the Cylons you want without having to share with me. This way I don't get to hog all of the glory for myself," Lacey said as she tried to lighten the mood.

"You think if you were there you'd get more kills than I would?" Medford replied, clearly taking the bait.

"Remember when it comes to flying a Viper…I am a Tolan after all."

Medford chuckled, "Lace, that's the first time I've ever heard you say that with pride."

_**Hospital Ship**__**Solace, Cabin CA-132:**_

Emily Tolan sat back onto the couch and let out a long sigh. All that time in a hospital bed and she was finally able to relax on an actual piece of furniture. The physical therapy was doing wonders for her, at least she could say that she was feeling more like a normal person and not some leper.

"I'd say that's progress," Daphne Sari, the best friend of her sister Andrea and now a med tech on the _Solace_, said as she sat by Emily.

"I feel like it is, a few more months and perhaps I can return to the _Olympica_," Emily said as she tried and failed to suppress a smile at the thought.

There was a knock on the door and the two women expected it to be the nurse who had followed them to the room. Instead, the door opened and in walked the very-pregnant looking Major Andrea Graystone. She had taken over as CAG of the _Victorious _when Anton Pontiere was moved to become the battlestar's new Tactical Officer. She had become pregnant after a tryst with one of the pilots in the squadron she commanded. However, she was not given a court-martial for what would have been a serious offense in the peacetime Colonial Fleet. The fleet could not afford that luxury. Instead, the issue was quietly passed over by Tolan, at the risk of showing favouritism.

"I heard you were going to try to make it here," Andrea said as she walked over and gave her sister a hug.

"Daphne and Nurse Thomson followed me here just in case I couldn't make it, not that I was going to fail," Emily said. In truth, she possessed a singular stubbornness and in this case, it might have been to her advantage.

"I don't doubt you heard about the plans for the Ostarsis rescue have been released," Brooke Bowman said as she nursed a glass of water, these days the equivalent of the finest bottle of Scorpian Ambrosia.

"Yeah, I heard about that one. I wish I could be there for it," Andrea said with an almost wishful look on her face.

"I don't know Andie, looks like it's going to be a rough operation," Sari said.

"I have my doubts about it to be honest, it's almost like he's doing this for the very reason I'm afraid of," Andrea said almost absent-mindedly as though an unpleasant realization was making itself known to everyone in the room.

Brooke and Emily both knew what was going through Andrea's mind, "Bridget?"

"Yeah that's what it is coming down to," Andrea admitted.

"Is that why he's going through with this?" Sari asked.

Emily shook her head, "I believe his reasoning is that it's to make sure those prisoners are freed from the Cylons before something bad happens to them."

"While I respect your opinion, I disagree…It's something I can't put my finger on, but I believe that if it was anyone else besides Bridget Woods down there he'd scrap the operation as being 'too risky' and think of something else," replied Andrea.

"I know Artimus felt something similar towards her, he found it odd that out of all the people Scott could have had as his XO he chose her," Brooke said. Her husband, Commander Artimus Bowman of the _Battlestar Hermes_, was quite possibly the only man who Scott Tolan considered a brother and yet even he never truly understood Tolan's relationship with Bridget Woods.

"Let's not get carried away here, I served under both of them on the _Victorious_. They were nothing but professional together. I really find it hard to believe he was still in love with her," Sari said.

"He may not have acted inappropriately with her but you could tell his feelings for her were there. He may have said they were close friends, but I know the fact that they slept together back in the day might mean something," Andrea said causing Emily to have a bitter memory from six years ago came flooding back to her.

It was when she had almost died from her miscarriage and her husband had wrapped himself in his work rather than come see her, instead he sent the one woman she could barely tolerate…Bridget Woods. Time had change since then. Emily and Scott had three children, and Emily was hell bent on maintaining what was left of her life because if Scott was still in love with Bridget then that would make the life they had built over the years a lie. That thought, as unpleasant as it was, seemed determined to keep running through Emily's mind.

"Are you two telling me that you know Scott better than I do?" asked Emily with a fire to her voice.

"I think I know Scott better than you do…he may be your husband but I've spent more time with him than you have," replied Andrea.

"We can sit here and continue to debate it, but I'll be glad to have him come back with all the prisoners on that moon. There's got to be about fifteen thousand or more judging by the news reports and there is a part of my mind that tells me I need to support my husband," Emily said.

"Maybe we should talk about something else," injected Sari with the hope that it would keep the conversation from escalating into a shouting match about an affair that may not even have been an affair to begin with.

Emily listened to Brooke words before turning to her, wincing in a little pain as she did so, and looked at her.

"What?" asked Brooke wondering why she now had the full attention of Emily.

"Let me ask you something, and I want an honest answer from you," asked Emily Tolan.

"You always will," said Brooke whose eyebrows lowered in confusion. "I'd never keep anything from you, Em'."

"If Artimus were in Scott's position," started Emily, "What would he do? Honestly?"

Brooke thought for a moment as she placed herself in her husband's shoes. Her mind began to think like Artimus 'Archer' Bowman, something only she could ever do and she pondered Emily's question.

"If it were Artimus," said Brooke pausing before continuing. Everyone in the room listened in anticipation of her answer. "He would think that there are many times that number of people within the fleet. I think he would play the cautious card and perhaps try to find another way to get those people off."

"So he would try?" asked Emily.

Brooke didn't answer. Her silence said it all. She didn't believe that Artimus Bowman would risk the entire fleet over these people when they were now fighting for the very survival of their race.

For Emily, it was the evidence she was looking for and quietly hoping she would never find.

"However Stryker would and that's why he's considered a legend…no one can win a war by playing it safe," injected Andrea in support of her sister in law, which caused Emily to smile.

The conversation began to drift away from the controversy that surrounded the upcoming rescue mission and onto other more pleasant topics. Emily looked out the window of the room and thought she saw the great bulk of the _Colossus_ off in the distance. It was the largest of the battlestars in the fleet, and now the _Titan_-class ship was going to serve of the flagship of her husband in the battle that was going to take place shortly.

'You come back to me Scott,' she mentally said and if it were possible, she would will her husband to hear what her mind was saying.

She watched as the _Colossus_ disappeared in a flash along with the other warships that were guarding the fleet. With the exception of the battlestars _Victorious_, _Achilles,_ the escort battlestar _Maytoria,_ the light cruiser _Neleus_, and the Eastern Alliance baseship _Revenge,_ the civilian ships were without the bulk of the military that had protected them for over seven and a half months.

Without realizing it was happening, a succession of tears fell from her eyes and began to run down her cheeks.

Lacey Tolan walked into the room and without saying a word. She walked up to Emily and looked out the window with her. Neither had to say a word to, they were both thinking the same thing…that Scott Tolan be among those who would come back from this mission alive.

tbc


	10. Chapter 10: Gates of Hell

**Chapter Ten: Gates of Hell**

**Ontarus Sector, near Canceron:**

In space there is little depth perception available to the human eye. Therefore it was difficult to grasp the enormity of what was happening as one by one the fleet of Battlestars and supporting craft burst through space and time in a brilliant flash of white as they completed their faster-than-light jump.

**Battlestar **_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC:**

"All ships are reporting in, the Fleet has made the jump," Ensign Lucien Whitfield reported.

"Excellent, let's get our final prep work out of the way before we send the _Vestal _to Ostarsis. The last thing I want to do is leave something to chance. Have all battlestars launch a CAP in case the Cylons show up," Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan said as he went over the reports from the ships that started to come into the digital display on the Command and Control Station.

Moments later Whitfield reported, "Admiral, all battlestars have launched a CAP per your orders."

"Excellent, send word to the _Vestal_, they are to jump to Ostarsis the moment they have the final prep work done on the _Melete_. When they launch the _Melete_ they are to jump back. When we've given the EMP bomb time to go off then we'll jump in and begin our assault. Until then I want all Vipers to be paired with Raptors providing ECM support and have the emergency Vipers in the tubes ready to launch in case they're needed," Tolan ordered and looked over to the small War Room where the staff were busy keeping track on the flow of information that was considered vital to the operation.

The Orianos class escort battlestar Melette had been stripped of every piece of equipment that could be of use and its interiors gutted to allow for materials that could be used to repair battlestars such as the _Achilles_, _Sphinx_, and _Victorious_. Engineers had reconfigured the remains of the ship to serve as a massive EMP bomb that would disable the Cylon gun platforms and other defenses that were in place around Ostarsis.

The _Melete_ was quite literally a shell of what it had once been. Both flight pods had been cut away and there was only enough armor left in place to hold off the Cylons long enough to ensure that the EMP bomb would go off. What had been taken from the Battlestar had been distributed amongst the others to improve their chances in this battle. It was, in essence, warship cannibalism.

Since most warships were heavily shielded against EMP blasts such as that from a nuclear detonation this EMP bomb had to be particularly powerful. The EMP it would emit would be the equivalent to a colossal 138 megaton nuclear blast!

As the crew scrambled to make sense of the flurry of reports that flooded in from the ships of the task force Tolan took a moment to reflect on the upcoming mission. It was not something that was uncommon to him; he had tried his best to keep the right perspective on this rescue mission. He had engaged the Cylons at Ragnar, Carillon, and Cosmora; yet Ostarsis had such a different feel to it than the previous engagements.

Here he was in one of the most advanced ships among the ships of the Colonial Fleet…the remnants of the Colonial Fleet. How things had changed for them in the last seven and a half months, would History judge his actions as those of an officer who was brave or reckless?

Tolan then took out a letter than the recently-retired Fleet Admiral John Kronus had sent him shortly before the _Colossus_ and the rest of the task force jumped away. It was a large tan envelope with the name '_**Olympica**_' embossed on the right corner in raised lettering. Kronus had written a message on the back of the envelope that informed Tolan that he should read this letter at the right time. 'Now's as good of a time as any,' Tolan thought. The letter was older and had the insignia of the Colonial Defense Forces on the background. It looked as though it dated back to the days of the Cylon War but the letter had been protected against time and the elements by a protective sleeve. He began to read it:

_**To: Fleet Admiral John Kronus; Commanding Officer Colonial Fourth Fleet**_

_**From: Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker; Commanding Officer Colonial First Fleet**_

_**Something that you need to keep in mind…You can't win a war without great sacrifice and taking risk. So attack now before there is nothing left to defend. **_

Beneath the official message was one that looked to be as old as the one he had just read; only it lacked the official presentation of the previous one. It seemed Stryker sent another message to Kronus following the first official message.

_**Just to follow up the message you just received…Hurry up and go kick some Cylon ass so I can get back to Picon before Elizabeth kills both of us."**_

Tolan could not help but laugh as he read the last part. It was something he could imagine saying to an officer he was friends with concerning his wife Emily. It was then that remembered one of the lessons that he had been taught at the Fleet Academy in his Colonial Fleet History class. It appeared that Kronus must have had some doubts about heading into battle and Stryker was there to give his friend the reminder.

Tolan thought to himself, "Even now he still teaches me a thing or two."

Strangely, it was at this point his thoughts then travelled to his friend Artimus Bowman, the commander of the Battlestar _Hermes_. He had yet to find proof that he had survived the Cylon attack, though in a way not finding proof helped to keep the hope alive that he was out there. It all was a matter of staying optimistic, though it would be nice to have the _Hermes_ and its air group on hand for this battle. Yes more ships and Vipers would be a big help and they could come from anywhere but he wanted _Hermes_ specifically. He wanted his friend back. He had uncovered plots made against him by people he thought he could trust. Now he needed a loyal friend more than ever. No use worrying about it now. Just concentrate on the mission.

He was charging to attack the Cylons with the _Titan_ class _Colossus_, the _Mercury_ class _Helios _and _Ares_, the _Columbia _class _Athena_, the _Cyrene_ class _Indra_, and the newly commissioned Marine Battlestar _Xanthus_. The _Xanthus_ was a _Valkyrie_ class battlestar that had been converted into the experimental Marine Battlestar. It carried with it specialized troop transport craft for deploying Marines as well as a type of vertical takeoff Viper known as the Asp. Under the command of Commander Travis Omega and serving as the flagship of Rear Admiral Alera Cantu, this was going to be the baptism by fire for the ship.

"Sir, the _Vestal _has jumped away. They sent a report stating that the final work was finished and the _Melete_ was prepared for its mission," Petty Officer Jayne Warner announced from Communications.

"Alright, let's see what happens when they come back," Tolan said as he mentally plotted out scenarios for both cases, one for the EMP working and the other for it not working. He pressed a button on the Command and Control Station and saw the countdown clock on the EMP bomb.

"Admiral, we have a DRADIS contact…it's the _Vestal_!" Lieutenant Tonya Mullins announced when the mobile drydock showed up on the DRADIS display.

"Sir, there's a call coming in for you from the _Vestal_," Warner announced.

He picked up the receiver and said, "This is Admiral Tolan."

"This is _Vestal_-Actual, we have released the _Melete_," Commander Richard Hill announced.

"Good work Commander, when we jump to Ostarsis I want you to stay out of DRADIS range. We'll need you for the aftermath of the battle so stay far enough away so the Cylons don't try to come after you."

"Thank you Admiral Tolan," Hill said.

"Prepare to jump back whenever we've completed the countdown," Tolan said before putting the receiver back into its cradle.

"Five minutes until detonation," Mullins said as she brought the countdown clock up on the screen of the Command and Control Station closest to where Tolan was standing.

"Five minutes…and they may be the longest five minutes I've dealt with in some time," Tolan said as he began to mentally prepare himself what was to come when they jumped to Ostarsis.

The seconds ticked by and eventually the clock showed the time had expired. Tolan hoped the powerful EMP would be enough to knock out the gun platforms. If everything had gone according to plan it would mean that the EMP had knocked out the electronic components of the Cylon defenses, something that simply could not help but be beneficial to the Colonial task force.

'Maybe they got a baseship or two as well," Tolan said as he mentally moved on to the next item in his battle plan.

**Ostarsis:**

**Battlestar Colossus, Flag CIC:**

"Admiral, all ships have made the jump," Ensign Lucien Whitfield reported.

"I want the corvettes to take up defensive positions around both battlestar groups," Tolan announced to Whitfield who began to relay the order.

"Action Stations! Action Stations! Set Condition One throughout the ship," the _Colossus'_ Tactical Officer announced. Flight Quarters! Flight Quarters! Set condition 1-alpha for flight operations! Set condition 1-alpha for launching and recovering of Vipers and Raptors! The smoking lamp is out aft of frame 4-6-niner; all personnel not involved in flight operations stay forward of frame 4-6-niner!"

"Admiral, the corvettes are moving into position," Lieutenant Tanya Mullins announced.

Tolan looked up at the DRADIS screen and saw the position of the six battlestars in the invasion force. Battlestar Group 66 was composed of the _Colossus_, _Helios_, and_ Indra_. The other group, Battlestar Group 67 was composed of the _Athena_, _Ares_, and the Marine Battlestar _Xanthus_.

'We're going to see how those V/STOL Vipers do in combat,' Tolan thought as he watched the displays representing the twelve _Trident_-class corvettes get into position.

The twelve were being halved between the two groups. The _Trishula, Pata, Otta, Kukri, Khanda_, and _Talwar_ were taking positions around BSG-66. The _Shamshir, Kilij, Atgeir, Halberd, Tambo_, and _Rampuri _were surrounding BSG-67. Tolan brought up a display of the commanding officers of each vessel and made his decision as to what to do next.

"Mr. Whitfield, send a message to Captain Alfred Torrington of the _Talwar_ informing him that he is charge of the six corvettes in the group and one to Captain Lisa Kingaby of the_ Atgeir_ that she is in charge of the six corvettes with the other group."

"Message sent," Whitfield said after sending the message.

The corvettes were slightly smaller than the faststars in the fleet but could still provide a potent punch when grouped together. They were ideal for putting up a flak screen to keep enemy ordnance from reaching the ship it was tasked with protecting.

"Send word to the battlestars to proceed with launching their entire air wings immediately. Send word to the cruisers that I want them to start destroying the gun platforms with their missiles and targeting the baseships with their guns," Tolan said as he saw on the DRADIS screen the location of the Cylon baseships. With the combined force of the warstars, battle cruisers and the battlestars they should be able to handle the enemy while allowing the cruisers to use their guns to provide extra punch against the gun platforms.

"Admirals Ramos and Morton are reporting that they are ready to engage the Cylon baseships," Whitfield reported.

"Tell the cruisers to join up with the warstars and battlecruisers, the Vipers are to engage and destroy the gun platforms that are still remaining. I want the battlestars to line up with the gunnery task forces and have gun crews ready to join in engaging the baseships," Tolan ordered. He knew he was changing his orders suddenly but it made more sense to use the Vipers to against the gun platforms while the cruisers joined in with the battle line that was forming between the Colonial forces and the Cylon baseships.

One by one the ships lined up in a single line with the warstar _Svalin_ leading the way followed by the two _Nemesis_-class battlecruisers, and then came the battlestars, and finally the cruisers. The Cylons lined their baseships in the same manner and were advancing towards the line of Colonial Fleet vessels; the stage was set for an old-fashioned slugging match between the enemy forces. Like ancient ships-of-the-line they readied their guns for battle.

'Just have to wait and see what happens,' Tolan thought as he mentally counted off the time until they would be in range of the Cylon baseships.

Moments later he received the first report from Lieutenant Mullins, "Admiral the _Svalin_ has opened fire on the first baseship."

"Have gun crews on all ships ready to fire when in range," Tolan ordered and he mentally wondered just how this would play out.

The four barrels of each rail gun turret on the warstars began belching their projectile shells towards the baseships, scoring hit after hit on their immobilized targets. Tolan had left orders for the center of the Cylon vessels serve as the primary target for the Colonial warships. The baseships returned to life with their missiles, firing them ballistically at the targets, but the heavily armored warstars simply shrugged them off and began concentrating on the next ship in the line.

"Sir, we're coming into range," Mullins reported.

"Admiral, the warstars are reporting minimal damage. It looks as though their armor kept them from being seriously damaged."

"Thank the gods for small miracles," Tolan said and the _Colossus _began to shake as the baseships targeted the battlestar with their weapons.

"Sir, the baseship has broken in two! I'm not detecting any active electronic signals. The frakker's dead!" Mullins exclaimed, the report causing a brief celebration to break out in the Flag CIC.

**Battlestar **_**Helios**_**, CIC:**

"Admiral, the gun captains report that their crews are ready to begin firing," Colonel Jose Cordova announced after getting the report from Tactical.

"Tell the gun captains that they may fire when ready," Admiral Naomi Sakura announced. Both she and Cordova were at the Command and Control Station in the CIC.

The _Helios _shook as the ship's guns began firing their projectiles towards the baseships.

'Let's get some hits in against these bastards,' Sakura thought to herself, taking a moment to relish the chance to dish out some punishment to the Cylons. After all they had put her through, especially with the idea that her husband and son might be dead, it seemed poetic that she could unleash some of her fury on the enemy in the form of the Vipers and the shells from the _Helios_.

"Admiral, we are reporting direct hits on various sections of the baseship," Lieutenant Lavonne Everett before adding, "Admiral Tolan has given orders to recall all Vipers to our location. The baseships are beginning to launch their Raiders."

"Give the order and start up the flak guns," Sakura ordered and she waited to see what would happen next.

_**Helios**_** Viper Squadron One:**

Major Aimee 'Bullet' Nelson watched as her missiles hit the gun platform, causing it to burst into flame. It may not have been destroyed but it had been disabled. It was out of the fight.

"Bullet this is _Helios_," the voice of Lieutenant Barton Klein said over the wireless in her helmet, "Admiral Tolan has recalled all Vipers to the battle line that has formed between us and the baseships. You are to engage the Raiders immediately."

"Alright you heard the man, let's get over there and shoot us down some toasters," Nelson said as she pivoted her Viper around engaged the thrusters to get her to the Cylons as quickly as possible.

She was the first Nelson to join the family for quite some time, her great-grandfather Admiral George Nelson had fought and died during the Cylon War. He was not as well-remembered as Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker but he was someone she had looked up to and hoped she was doing the family name justice.

Lieutenant Raleigh 'Condor' Marlin finished his strafing run on one of the platforms before turning to join the CAG, "Looks like we get to do some toaster shooting!"

Ensign George 'Guru' Raymond joined in, "I can arrange a meeting between some of them and the Lords of Kobol."

Lieutenant Curtis 'Druid' Garrett hit the button to add more thrust to his Viper, "I've wanted some more action since we saw them at Cosmora, time to add more to my scorecard."

Ensign Isidro 'Daredevil' Pace chimed in, "I think there's going to be plenty of action for all of us."

Nina 'Dragonfly' Holden spoke next, "We're only the luckiest ship in the task force, if the toasters know what's good for them they'll shoot for us first."

Melinda 'Royalty' Prince said, "You want them to come gunning for us?"

Latasha 'Mystique' Ramsey added, "Why shouldn't they? We have the second highest-ranking flag officer and like Dragonfly said…the luckiest ship in the task force."

Cheng 'Spitfire' Min said, "We'll prove it in this battle that's for sure. Haven't seen this many toasters since we fought them at Cosmora."

"Alright people keep the chatter down and focus on shooting some toasters," Nelson said. said, "We'll prove it in this battle that's for sure. Haven't seen this many toasters since we fought them at Cosmora."

"Alright people keep the chatter down and focus on shooting some toasters," Nelson said.

**Marine Command Ship **_**Black River**_**:**

"Looks like they started the battle against the baseships," Brigadier General Otus Maxwell said after taking his cigar from his mouth.

"If everything goes to plan we shouldn't have too much trouble," Major General Alice Hyde of the Colonial Army said.

The two officers had forged somewhat of a friendship during the time when they had been forced to 'play nice' with one another. The rivalry between the Colonial Army and the Colonial Marines had survived the Fall of the Colonies. Now they were on the _Black River_, a _Dakar_ class Marine Command Ship that had been discovered in one of the various reserve ship yards the fleet had come upon. It had taken some time but the ship was now fully operational.

"My second-in-command has told me that the troops are itching for some action," Hyde said after a silence had fallen between the two officers.

"Same with mine, and I can tell you this much…they're going to get plenty of it down there," Maxwell said as he looked around the War Room.

It had been restored to full operational status during the time before the Second Battle of Cosmora and was now. The ship was crewed by the Colonial Fleet; the Commanding Officer was Commander Elizabeth Hampton. The thirty-seven year old Hampton had previously served as Tactical Officer of the heavy cruiser _Typhon_.

"Which one is your second-in-command?" Maxwell asked.

"Colonel Zackary Bell, and after him is Colonel Todd Horne. They were invaluable to me during the colonization mission."

"I know how important that is," Maxwell said before looking over their combined forces, "Altogether we have a combined force of a little over 25,000 troops for this operation. With the diverse specialties of your Army troops I think we'll have a decent chance of pulling this off."

"It's funny how fate has brought us together on this operation. Can you believe how long it took us to work out all of the details?"

"There was a Colonial Fleet officer who I believe forced the issue, but at least we can put our combined power to good use."

Hyde nodded her head, "It's just a matter of landing our forces whenever the Fleet finishes bombarding the surface."

**Marine Battlestar **_**Xanthus**_**:**

"Ensign Kelly, send word to our air group to redeploy to our location immediately," Commander Travis Omega ordered Ensign Jamar Kelly, his Communications Officer.

"Aye Commander, sending orders now," Kelly responded from his station.

"The reports we've received so far have been promising, the Asps have held up well," Colonel Chad Steele said as he walked over to Command and Control.

"That's what I was hoping to hear," Omega said. Steele and him had served as CO and XO onboard the Xanthus' sister ship the _Sphinx_. That ship was currently sitting in one of the fleet's three mobile dry docks awaiting its fate as to whether or not it would be rebuilt or scrapped. From what he had heard, Admiral Tolan favored rebuilding the ship that the crew had worked so hard to save after it had nearly been destroyed by a Cylon Raider's suicide dive into the hangar deck.

"It's a feather in your cap, I think a lot of officers would have been scarred after well…you know," Steele said.

Omega gave a smirk, "We had a lot thrown at us, and I didn't expect to be where I am now. I have to be perhaps the youngest officer to become a Commander and it required our society being nearly wiped out for that to happen."

"You've managed to acquit yourself so far," Steele said and would have said more but it was then that Rear Admiral Cantu walked up to where the two officers stood.

"Sitrep," she said as she waited for Omega to respond.

"We've taken some damage but it's been nothing the damage control teams can't handle. Admiral Tolan has ordered all available Vipers to this location so that they can take on the Raiders that have been launched by the baseships."

"How are our birds doing out there?" she asked in reference to the Asp fighters.

"According to Captain McGrath they're performing as well as a regular Viper unit," Omega said. Captain Charles G. McGrath was a Viper pilot from the _Helios _who had volunteered to serve as the squadron leader of the Asp Squadron. Gray had dubbed the squadron the 'Rough Riders' after a group of civilians who formed a militia and fought the Cylons on Caprica during the Cylon War.

"That's a relief, seems the decision to produce those things paid off," Cantu said. Worries about the V/STOL modifications affecting performance were proving unjustified.

**Battlestar **_**Athena**_**, CIC:**

The room shook as the missiles from the Cylon baseship found their target and slammed into the hull of the _Athena_. Sparks began to fly from various consoles and the people inside the CIC tried to get their bearings.

"Make sure the Damage Control teams are deployed," Rear Admiral James Brannigan said once he got back to his feet.

"Reports are coming in from across the ship, DC teams have deployed to the areas that have been hit," Colonel Chiuske Shimomura said as the reports came in over the phone.

"I need you to coordinate the DC effort, I don't intend to lose my ship," Brannigan said.

With a nod, Shimomura left the Command and Control Station and made his way over to the Damage Control station where he could direct the efforts to keep the fires that had broken out on the _Athena _under control.

"Admiral there's a report coming from the Chief Engineer," the tactical officer called out.

Brannigan walked over and read the report before reading it again to let it sink in. The _Athena _was coming apart literally; the ship was somehow tearing itself apart. There were multiple tears beginning to form in the Engineering department, the FTL drive, and various parts of the outer hull. It seemed the punishment the _Athena_ was taking from the Cylons, coupled with its time without maintenance in the Inactive Reserve, the damage taken at the recent Battle of Ochoa, and other factors meant that _Athena _may not come out the battle in a condition to continue serving…that was if it survived the battle.

**Battlestar **_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC:**

"Admiral, the _Ares_ has just reported losing power," Whitfield reported.

"What the frak happened?" Tolan asked.

"The report states that the ship's power plant has gone offline, some sort of catastrophic mechanical malfunction."

Tolan wanted to slam his hand down in frustration but he knew that was something he could not afford to do. The _Ares_ had been a troubled ship before the Cylons had attacked and it seemed it was still the case.

"The Cylons have turned their attention on the _Ares_ and are launching a barrage of missiles at it," Whitfield reported.

"Send word that they are to abandon ship immediately, I want the scuttling charges activated once the last of the crew leaves and all Vipers and Raptors are to stay away from the _Ares' _airspace," Tolan ordered and watched as Whitfield immediately relayed the orders.

_**Athena**_** Air Group:**

Major Simone Merrick smiled as she fired her guns at the Raider that was in her sights, the Cylon erupted in a ball of flame and she felt a sense of satisfaction wash over her. So far her pilots had done well in the short battle. She was honest with herself about the fact that she had developed some doubts about the ones who made up Squadron Three but they had shown that they were up to the challenge.

Ensign Lynsie "Magnet' Medford launched her missile at the baseship, scoring a hit somewhere on the central axis. She almost let a cheer escape from her lips before the voice of Ensign Clay 'Trigger' Callahan came over the wireless.

"Magnet you got a toaster on your six!" the young pilot from Libran announced.

"I'm trying to shake him," she said and began to try to use the evasive maneuvers she had been taught while on the Maytoria.

"It's not working Magnet, let me see if I can get a shot on the bastard," Callahan said as he flew in to try to line the Raider up for a shot.

"Make it quick," she said as she tried her best to not give the Cylon a clear shot at her.

"Just a sec…got it!" Callahan said as the guns on his Viper started firing. Within seconds the Raider had exploded.

"Thanks Trigger, I owe you one," Medford said, she could only imagine what Lacey Tolan was thinking right now. She was probably still unhappy about having to sit out this battle.

'Don't worry Lace, I'll get some of these frakkers for you,' she thought as she pivoted her Viper around to engage another Raider. Ensign Lacey Tolan and Medford had a friendship that went back to their days as freshmen cadets at the Fleet Academy on Picon. Lacey, the first cousin of Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan, was on the Solace for medical attention after being viciously attacked on the _Athena_. In Medford's eyes it was a chance to not only vindicate herself in combat but to also take out some of the Cylons she knew her friend would have destroyed if she could be there.

**Lead Cylon Baseship:**

The entire control room on the baseship shook violently and the lights flickered off as power relays broke or were severed before the power was rerouted and the lights came back on.

"What the frak was that?" the Number Four model known as Kimmel demanded.

"The _Ares_ has just blown up, they were close enough to us to do serious damage to our port side," Six stated.

"There's something wrong, the _Victorious_ isn't here which means that Tolan isn't here," Kimmel said as his mind tried to think of where the illusive flag officer could be.

"We received DRADIS reports of a large fleet that has come into range of a patrolling baseship," Eight reported.

"We can hold our own against this fleet, send four of our baseships to intercept and destroy this group that's been discovered," Kimmel ordered.

The baseship shook again as more of the Colonial weaponry found their mark; it was going to be a fierce battle with their enemy.

Kimmel put his hand into the datastream and saw the next battlestar that was on the firing line, it was time to take out another Colonial ship. Something else disturbed him, all of the gun platforms had been destroyed, this was a development that he had not seen happening. Perhaps that EMP weapon that had been deployed had done more damage than he had realized.

_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC:**

"Sir, the _Indra_ has suffered multiple hits from the baseships. They seem to be coordinating their attacks on her," Whitfield said.

"Send word to the warstars and battle cruisers to turn around and put their turrets to use against the baseships, remind them to target the center of each ship," Tolan said. The _Cyrene _class was a tough class, built to take punishment, but they did have their limitations. They would all still be in service if it had not been for President Adar's decision to downsize the fleet. His first command, the _Vanguard_, had been a member of that class.

"What's the status on our main ships?" Tolan asked.

"The _Athena_ has taken moderate damage, Helios has reported minimal damage, same with _Xanthus_, _Indra_ was moderately damaged but has gotten worse now, and Colossus has taken light damage but otherwise is fine. The Warstars _Svalin_, _Aegis_, and _Defender_ have received light damage along with the battle cruisers _Nemesis_ and _Conqueror_; all have checked in and are coming around to make a pass on the opposite side of the baseships."

"Very well, I want all battlestars to follow their lead. We may not be as big as them but we can damn sure maneuver better than they can," Tolan said.

**Ostarsis:**

The sight of the railgun turrets of the warstars and battlecruisers were deadly at close range, a fact that made the Colonial tactics more lethal to the Cylons. While the battlestars could come within range once their Vipers had launched, the warstars were the heavily armored battleships that could come in and deliver a knockout punch with their ferocious artillery. They were able to launch missiles as well, but their main power lay in their main guns with the secondary able to punch holes into an enemy as well. The two _Nemesis_ class battlecruisers were smaller than the warstars but could still pack a potent punch with their slightly smaller rail gun turrets, the lessons learned from the previous battlecruiser designs had been incorporated into these and the results were proving promising. The _Amphitrite_ heavy cruisers _Erebus, Thetis, Aether_ and the two Edenton class heavy cruisers _Typhon_ and _Agrius_ were keeping up with the rest of the gunnery task forces as their shells found their mark and their armor shook off the impacts from the missiles fired from the baseships.

The twelve corvettes were staying in position as they did their all in keeping the Cylon Raiders from getting too close to the battlestars. Their small caliber weapons may not have done much damage to the baseships, but their missiles could do damage if they were able to hit their targets. The battle lines had formed in the space around Ostarsis and the opposing forces did not hold back as they fired their weaponry at each other in a lethal space fireworks show. It was like hell itself was celebrating at the calamity that was unfolding.

The rounds fired punched into the Cylon baseships before exploding, killing untold numbers of the Centurions and their humanoid masters. If the battlestars had not been there then the Raiders could have swooped in and used their speed and maneuverability against the warstars, as had been done in the Cylon War before the battlestar concept had been pioneered. This time the Vipers were keeping the Raiders busy while the gunnery crews did their part.

The result was the destruction of most of the Cylon baseships, however these enemy ships did not go quietly. They targeted and launched their missiles at the battlestars and scored many hits. The results were crippling to the _Indra_ and the _Athena_, while other ships took less severe damage but were still reeling from the onslaught.

A couple of the baseships did manage to jump away after being severely damaged, it seemed as though they had been soundly defeated.

**Battlestar **_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC:**

"Admiral, the remaining Cylon baseships have either been destroyed or jumped away and the Raiders have jumped away with them!" Whitfield exclaimed, following by a loud round of cheers from the crew of the Flag CIC.

"I want volunteers from the air groups to stay in flight for a CAP while the rest are to land on their respective battlestars. Those whose ships are either destroyed or too damaged for landing are to land on the nearest battlestar. Let the gunnery task force know that Operation Coronet is to begin in four hours," Tolan said. Operation Olympic had gone well; the Cylon forces had been defeated in the space around Ostarsis. Now it was time to commence Operation Coronet and begin the actual invasion on the Libran moon.

He wondered how Carter's diversionary force was doing at this time. Admiral Tyrone Carter had volunteered to lead a force to draw part of the Cylon force away from Ostarsis. The result would be a reduced enemy force that could be taken on more easily. It appeared the plan had worked; Tolan looked at the recon footage taken from the Raptor scouts that had done the early recon on the moon and compared it to what was waiting for them when they arrived to being the assault. For all intents and purposes Carter appeared to have done what he set out to do.

**Four Hours and Nine Minutes Later:**

**Warstar **_**Svalin**_**:**

"All units are reporting that they are ready to begin orbital bombardment," Lieutenant Tyree Holt, the Communications Officer of the _Svalin_, said.

"Excellent," Admiral Antonio Ramos said as he turned his attention to the listing of the ships available for the task. He was surprised that none of the warstars, battle cruisers, and cruisers had been seriously damaged. The battlestars had taken a pounding, but they would be there to repel a possible return of the Cylons.

"Establish me a connection with Agincourt," Ramos ordered and it was not long until the voice of a man came on the line.

"This is Clay," Major Darren Clay of the Colonial Army Delta Force said from the secure conference room of the Kria Bunker down on Ostarsis.

"Major Clay, this is Admiral Ramos on the Warstar _Svalin_."

"Warstar…that must mean what I think it means."

"Yes it does, my gunnery task force is about to begin the orbital bombardment of the moon's surface, I wanted to give you and the prisoners a heads-up before we started."

"Understood Admiral, get to work and when the time is right we'll be ready to help kick these toasters squarely in the ass."

"That's what I was hoping to hear. When you start hearing large explosions from wherever you are know that it's us softening up the toasters for you," Ramos said and then he motioned for Lieutenant Holt to sever the connection.

"Commander Arrington, what do you say we get to work?" he asked Commander Maria Arrington, the CO of the _Svalin_.

"You heard Admiral Ramos, Ms. Emelin, give the order for all turrets to begin planetary bombardment of selected targets," Arrington said.

"Sending the orders now," Lieutenant Kirsty Emelin said as she sent out the order from Admiral Ramos to all ships.

Within a few minutes the gun turrets of the warstars and the cruisers began firing their projectiles through the atmosphere of Ostarsis and towards the targets that the resistance cell had identified as Cylon strongholds. One by one the projectiles hurtled through the atmosphere causing an orange glow to form around them as the friction built up.

"Admiral Ramos, Admiral Tolan has sent over a message for you," Holt said.

Ramos walked over and took the message printout from Holt's hand. Tolan was maneuvering the battlestars into place to join in on the bombardment of Ostarsis' surface.

"The more firepower we use the better," Ramos quietly said as he looked up at the DRADIS screen to watch the battlestars join with the gunnery task force in the orbital bombardment.

**Dia Griene Hotel:**

The seven models were crowded around the table in the meeting room on the Seventh Floor of the Dia Griene Hotel.

"They came here after all," Two said.

"Four has put up as much of a fight as we could expect and with our forces pursuing that other battle fleet we discovered he fought well," Five said.

"That's fine with me as long as he doesn't botch this like he did at Cosmora we'll be fine," One said. The plan was for Four to put up enough of a fight to bloody the task force. There would be a larger task force ready to jump in to attack.

"We still don't know why they're here," Eight said.

"They think those prisoners we killed are still alive, I'd wager this is some kind of rescue mission," Five said.

"That may be true but those prisoners are dead…they are dead, right?" One asked.

"The Centurions unleashed enough firepower on that cave that it must have ignited whatever ammunition was being stored there because there was a large explosion and the entrance to the cave collapsed. If they survived that then they died a slow painful death."

One allowed a smile, "There's a thought that brings a smile to my face."

"That should mean that if they think the prisoners are alive then they'll land troops and keep the fleet in station around this hunk of rock to fight against us," Three said.

"In that case Three by all means tell us what we should do?" One said with a strong hint of irritation and sarcasm in his voice.

"Four, send word to your brother. Now that he's retreated from here he needs to wait until we give an order for the baseships to regroup with our other forces and jump back to engage the enemy. We'll wait for them to land troops and when the time seems right we'll attack Tolan's force and stop him once and for all."

"I'll send word right away," Four said as he turned to walk to out of the room.

"That might actually work," One said. He did not get to say anything else when a shell slammed into the hotel's parking lot. The shockwave from the impact audibly shattered windows on the bottom floor of the hotel.

"What the frak was that?" Five asked.

"They've started shelling the surface," Six screamed as another shell slammed into the parking lot closer to the hotel. The whole structure shook as though it was the play toy of an invisible giant.

"I'm going to go visit the prisoner," One said as he bolted from the room and made his ways down to the stairs that would allow him to access the east wing of the hotel where a high-ranking Colonial Fleet prisoner was being kept.

**Dia Griene Hotel, East Wing, Leopold Room:**

One ran through the corridors as explosions resounded from the outside of the Dia Griene Hotel. He entered the Leopold Conference Room on the third floor where Fleet Admiral Peter Corman was being kept as a prisoner. One threw the door and stormed into the room.

"You're here awfully early," Corman said.

"What's going on, I demand to know!"

"I believe hell has just been unleashed on you and your group of toasters, Tolan's here…" Corman said.

"What do you know about his ships, answer me!"

"Kiss my ass you toaster," Corman said and it was then that he began to laugh at the Cylon. It was a cold mocking laughter and he did not stop…even when a shell from the _Svalin_ found its mark and destroyed the other wing of the hotel.

"You're coming with me," One said as he began to compose himself and rid his mind of the shock the intense bombardment had induced. He motioned for two nearby Centurions to come and grab a hold of Corman on both hands.

Corman finally stopped laughing, "Well toaster what do you have in mind?"

"You're coming with us to where our baseships are regrouping, I want you to witness the destruction of your precious Fleet firsthand," One then motioned for the Centurions to follow him. There was a heavy raider nearby that would take them to the system where the Cylon forces were regrouping.

**Atteria System:**

Kimmel ran a hand over his head and exhaled a deep breath. The Colonial forces had come at him hard and hit him with more firepower than he had thought they would. It seemed they were convinced that the prisoners Five had killed were still alive and needed to be rescued, that was something they could exploit to make a giant step in the plan to exterminate humanity.

"I've brought you a special guest," One said as he entered the room with a hooded Colonial Fleet officer behind him. The man was escorted by two Centurions.

"Is this our prisoner from the hotel?" he asked.

One nodded, "I wanted him to be able to watch as his people were destroyed in our counter attack."

"Three's idea makes sense; our forces found that group and destroyed them easily enough. I was told the enemy vessels put up a spirited fight but were overwhelmed by our numbers."

"I would expect nothing less, these humans throw their lives away in such foolish heroics," One said disgustedly. A chair was brought into the room and the prisoner was strapped to it, "Are you comfortable Admiral Corman?"

The hood was yanked away and Corman looked at the Cylons with a look that was a mixture of hatred and defiance.

"You just got your ass handed to you by my people and you still think you have a chance to win this war?" Corman asked with a tone of incredulity in his voice.

"We didn't do so badly when this started and we still have the numbers advantage," One said.

"He's right, this fool's errand your people are on will only hasten the inevitable. Tolan is the only officer with the resources to pull off something like this and even he is going to run out of those resources. He can't replace his losses and somewhere deep down inside he knows it, even if he's afraid to admit it," Four said.

"You wear that Colonial Fleet uniform and seeing you in it makes me sick…you aren't worthy of wearing one stitch of that clothing you frakking toaster. How did you even get that, what dead officer did you take it from?" Corman asked. He was making no attempt to hide the disgust in his voice.

"I managed to infiltrate the Colonial Fleet sometime before we attacked. When the group I was with met up with Admiral Tolan he had no reason to doubt that I was another commanding officer in the Fleet. I infiltrated the Admiralty and when the time was right I made my escape back to my people."

"You really believe you know Scott Tolan don't you?"

Four nodded, "He may be every bit the wild card you make him out to be but he is just one man and even he has his weaknesses. The only thing that can be done is to find them and exploit them until his luck runs out."

"You know what, I'm glad you toasters brought me up here because I'm looking forward to having the best seat in the house when you get your asses handed to you."

**Battlestar **_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC:**

"Reports are coming in from the gunnery task force and the battlestars that the orbital bombardment has been successful so far, Admiral Ramos estimates about eight to ten hours to truly soften up the defenses," Whitfield reported.

"That makes sense; they have to allow the barrels of their turrets to cool down so they don't overheat. Send word to Ramos that as soon as he feels he has shelled the surface sufficiently to let me know, and send word to Generals Hyde and Maxwell to begin their landings as soon as I clear the operation to proceed. I also want pilots to act as escorts for the landing craft, get me volunteers from the air wings."

Whitfield nodded and proceeded to relay the message. Tolan gripped the edge of the Command and Control Station and mentally checked over what all had transpired. The loss of the _Ares_ was unfortunate as well as the pilots and crew from the various ships who had lost their lives so far. Operation Olympic had proceeded well, they had caught the Cylons off-guard and had dealt them what he had hoped would be severe losses. But Tolan was wise enough to hold off on the full celebrations just yet. He knew this battle was only the start. Now was the time for Operation Coronet to begin, the actual invasion of Ostarsis and the rescue of the prisoners waiting in the Kria Bunker for their chance to be taken off of the moon.

Nevertheless Tolan allowed himself to breathe just a small sigh of relief as he came to realize that the result had been separated from his greatest fears over the operation.

'All in all…not bad,' Tolan thought to himself.


	11. Chapter 11: Operation Coronet

_**Chapter Eleven: Operation Coronet**_

**Crowninshield Sector:**

"Admiral, all ships have made the jump and are preparing to engage the enemy," Petty Officer David Williams said from the Tactical Station.

"I want all ships to try to use hit and run tactics on the Cylons, there's no need to stand there and take a pounding from the baseships," Carter said and waited as the order was passed through to the other ships in the task force.

This was a decoy force, designed to fool the Cylons as to the real whereabouts of the Ostarsis invasion force.

The _six Minerva class frigates, the Calder, Varian, Girard, Toccoa, Moultrie, and Zebulon, joined the Koiner class patrol frigates Cessair, Matrona, Lasair, and Agrona_. They would serve as the force that would tie down the Cylons long enough for the Ostarsis rescue to commence.

Now it was time for them to begin their operation to keep the Cylons occupied while Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan engaged the forces still present at Ostarsis.

Ten Minutes Later:

In his the CIC of his flagship, the _Calder_, Admiral Tyrone Carter ordered his six frigates to attempt a zigzag pattern to try to throw off the missiles launched at them from the five Cylon baseships still remaining. He had been fortunate to have taken out three of them so far. The Cylons would probably not report that they lost any ships against a small decoy force, but Carter could take pride in knowing he had managed to destroy some of the enemy forces. The reflective sails that had been attached to the frigates had done the job of making a force of frigates appear on DRADIS to be a battlestar force coming to do battle.

"Admiral, we are receiving word from the _Moultrie_," Petty Officer Brian Henry said from Communications.

"What is it?" Carter asked.

"They have a shot lined up on the lead Cylon baseship and want permission to deploy the Venom warheads," Henry said.

Carter nodded his head, "Take the shot."

The Venom missiles were cobbled together after the remnants of the Forsyth Weapons Research facility on Aerilon were discovered during the initial search for survivors after the Cylon attacks. They had taken up residence on the heavy transport _Ketill,_ though it was on a different level from where Doctor Daimon Ravashol's team had set up shop.

Carter felt the missiles had helped so far in disabling the Cylon baseships, if only they could continue to do so. They were almost out of ammunition as it were and he wanted to make every hit count.

"Admiral, the_ Girard_ is reporting massive damage…" Williams started to say but he would not get to finish as the _Calder_ took a hit from a missile near the CIC. The resulting impact caused various pieces of equipment to fail and screens burst into a shower of sparks. Williams was thrown from his station.

Carter found himself on the ground trying to shake the cobwebs out and regain his senses. He stood up and saw just how badly damaged the CIC was. Despite the best efforts, it seemed the Cylons scored a direct hit on his ship.

"Mr. Henry, send orders to remaining ships to fire their remaining missiles at the baseships and return to the fleet," Carter ordered. He was not sure how many would survive making another attack on the baseships but he wanted to give them another crack at the enemy.

"Message sent," Henry said.

"Get over to Helm and set us on a direct course for the baseship formation. Send word, I want all guns blazing and every missile launched," Carter ordered and he waited at the Command and Control Station as the other five frigates and four smaller patrol frigates disappeared off the DRADIS screen.

This was the moment when he began to accept that he would soon die. He felt an odd peace about it, and for once allowed himself to contemplate what he would find on the other side once the Cylons destroyed him and his ship. For a warrior such as he, there was a sense of pride of going out in a blaze of glory; he only wished he could take every last one of the damn Cylons down with him. No matter, he would settle for however many he could get.

**Kria Bunker: **

Major Clay and Commander Bridget Woods saw the lights flicker at the impact of one of the shells nearby.

"When Ramos said we'd know when the bombardment started, he meant it," Clay said.

"Yeah, with three warstars, two battlecruisers, and the heavy cruisers shelling this place, I think the only safe place is here in the bunker."

"Even I have my doubts about that, but I feel better in here than I would have out there."

"Suddenly, finding my people and coming here wasn't so bad," Woods said.

Clay allowed a slight smile. "I'd have found you regardless."

"You are the reason why Special Forces are considered so arrogant."

"We're not arrogant, we are just that good," replied Clay with a mischievous smile, while thinking to himself, 'If you only knew.'

Woods was going to argue the point when the door to the room opened and in walked Darius James, Ensign Paul Stryker, Major Larsen Banks, Neveah Ratliff, and Cadet Sophia Tolen.

"Nice of you to join us," Clay said.

"We'd have been here sooner but your man wouldn't let us leave until we had finished our training exercises," Banks replied.

"Which one would that be?" Clay asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Russell Delavan," Banks said and saw the look of recognition on Clay's face.

"Delavan grew up on the plains of Leonis and he's got that toughness that comes from that lifestyle. He has been known to push hard but he knows how to get the job done," Clay said.

"How long are they going to do this?" Tolen asked.

"Until they get tired of it," Banks said.

"No, until they feel they've destroyed the targets and it's safe to land troops," Woods said as she mentally tried to guess how long the bombardment would last.

"The war movies I acted in never made it feel this realistic," Ratliff said as she looked around the room to see if the hits near the bunker's location were going to cause any of the objects on the walls to fall onto the floor.

"This is nothing; we once tried to infiltrate an Erebea stronghold on Tauron. They opened up with every gun they had available," Clay said as he checked his watch before adding, "We're going to keep up with our training for the civilians and when we get the 'all clear' to attack I'll address everyone and let them know what lies ahead."

"We're going to the mess hall for some MRE goodness," Banks said as he motioned for the group to follow him. One of the perks of the Kria Bunker was that there was an impressive supply of Meals Ready to Eat and other amenities that helped to make their time underground a little more bearable.

"You're holding up well," Clay said once the group had left the room.

"Major Clay, I may actually pass out with shock. I didn't think you knew how to give compliments," Woods joked.

"I admit we had a rocky start when I got here but you've come to earn my respect. I have to be the way I am to get the job done, doesn't mean I can't be a human."

"Don't worry, Clay, your secret is safe with me. How ready are you to get off this rock?"

Clay shrugged, "I could have held out longer here. If my people had found this bunker before you then we'd have liberated every prisoner and given the Cylons a run for their money."

**Six Hours Later: **

**Battlestar **_**Colossus,**_** Flag CIC:**

"Admiral Ramos reports that all major targets have been shelled and he feels we can begin landing operations," Ensign Lucien Whitfield, Tolan's Chief of Staff, reported.

"Send word to Generals Hyde and Maxwell that they can begin launching the landing craft; also send word to Admiral Cantu that the _Xanthus_ can land their Marines as well to support Maxwell's forces."

"Aye sir, sending message now," Whitfield said as he motioned for the Communications Officer to transmit the message.

'Where are the Cylons?' Tolan thought. Surely, they would attempt to counter attack yet for the six hours since they had engaged the Cylons nothing had happened. The task force was still at Condition Two. That way if the toasters did show up, Condition One could be put into place quickly without losing valuable time to the enemy.

Marine Command Ship _Black River_:

"Generals, I'm receiving a message from the _Colossus_," the _Black River_'s Communications Officer announced.

"What does it say?" Hyde asked.

"Admiral Tolan wants you to begin landing troops immediately; the bombardment had ended and it appears all major targets have been hit."

"Well, Hyde, it looks like this is our moment," Maxwell said.

"Indeed it does. I'll go join my people over on the _Valcour_," Hyde said. The _Valcour_ was an Army heavy transport ship, the equivalent of the _Black River_. The large ships were able to hold the combined group of Army and Marine troops. Both ships carried landing craft designed for planetary operations, a tactic that had been used in conducting operations back during the Cylon War.

Maxwell nodded. "Good hunting down there, Hyde. I'll see you at our rendezvous."

Hyde simply nodded and left the room.

Maxwell mentally checked the plan in his mind. The goal was for the two armies to meet in the city of Daventry at the Dia Griene Hotel. The plan for the Marines had been changed; they would now land on the outskirts of the city of Daventry and begin the push towards the center of Ostarsis' largest city. The Army was tasked with taking the cities of Branwood and Hatherell.

**Marine Battlestar **_**Xanthus**_**: **

**Asp Squadron One Ready Room: **

Captain Charles G. McGrath had used the short time since he volunteered to command the squadron of Asp fighters to mold the force into a group that could hold its own in terms of being compared to the Vipers of the battlestars. In the battle so far, they had acquitted themselves well, with the fighters taking some damage but nothing that could not be repaired in the time since the first phase of the battle ended.

The pilots stood as McGrath entered the room. He walked up to the podium and told the pilots to sit.

"I can honestly say all of you have done well today," McGrath said as he started to address his pilots, "I know we have only had a short time to acclimate ourselves to our new fighters but so far you have done an outstanding job. Now with that being said, we have a new task ahead of us. Admiral Tolan has tasked us and two Viper squadrons with escorting the Army and Marine transports as they land their troops on the ground of Ostarsis."

He knew a majority of these pilots were former_ Sphinx_ pilots brought over when the battlestar's air wing was disbursed among the other battlestars in the fleet after the ship had nearly been lost at the Second Battle of Cosmora. There was a group of the pilots that at the time of the Cylon attack were either not in the Colonial Fleet or were not pilots. Among the group of pilots in his squadron were Ensigns Kenneth Rich, Randy Shields, Ariel Martinez, James Newton, Gary Roma, Jane Hansen, and Kevin Andrews.

"When do we take flight again?" Lieutenant Krystal Davidson asked.

"Who are we flying with?" Ensign Andrews asked before McGrath could respond to Davidson's question.

"We are flying in two to three hours. The Army and Marines are getting their final preparations done so that will give us time to rest up and prepare. Stimulants have been authorized for those who believe they will need them. With that said get some rest and do whatever you need to do to get ready for our next mission. Dismissed!"

_**Helios**_** Viper Squadron One Ready Room: **

Major Aimee 'Bullet' Nelson had hoped her pilots would have had enough rest after the fighting they had been involved in six hours earlier. She had immediately volunteered her squadron when she learned that Admiral Tolan was looking for pilots to escort the landing troops to the surface of Ostarsis. Now that she had finished briefing, it was time to set about doing the tedious paperwork that came with her job. Even with a war going on, and being in the battle zone, no less, there was still paperwork that would need to be filled out.

It was hard to believe that she was actually a CAG now; the unfortunate death of Major Frank Spencer paved the way for her to move from a junior pilot to being the officer in charge of the _Helios_' air wing. If she had to put it into words, there would be only one - lucky. She was lucky and so was her ship. The _Helios_ had taken its share of damage over the course of the last seven and a half months, but it was nothing like the calamity that had befallen the _Sphinx_ when a Cylon Raider had suicide dived into the hangar. Nor had there been anywhere near the damage done to the _Helios_ like what the _Victorious_ had taken whenever it took on a formation of Cylon baseships to allow the ships of their civilian armada to escape.

Her family had their doubts about her going into the military and it was doubly so for the Colonial Fleet. Her great-grandfather, Fleet Admiral George Nelson, was the second highest-ranking officer in the Admiralty during the Cylon War. He had lost his life during the Battle of Trafalgar Moon, near the end of the war, and had actually discouraged her grandfather from pursuing a career in the military. Her father had been the same way. Out of her siblings, she was the only one who had decided to make a path for herself in the Colonial Fleet. Her time at Abry Military Academy, where she would walk by the statue of her great-grandfather almost every day had taught her well and even though her family may be dead, she was hoping they were watching her from the afterlife with pride. If she could do it, she would avenge those lost when the Cylons destroyed her home colony of Caprica. Right now, the only thing she could not stop wishing for was that she could have her great-grandfather's brilliant tactical ability.

**Four Hours Later: **

**Kria Bunker, Mess Hall Three: **

Most of the people in the Bunker took their meals in Mess Halls One and Two. Mess Hall Three was a little less used and it was here. In a booth in the far corner of the room sat Darius James, Paul Stryker, Larsen Banks, Neveah Ratliff, and Sophia Tolen. It was probably an odd sight; an Eastern Alliance pirate, a cadet at the Colonial Fleet Academy, two Fleet officers, and one of the most famous actresses in the Twelve Colonies.

They had finished eating, and now they were just passing away the time by carrying on a seemingly endless conversation.

Banks was in the midst of talking about life on deployment, "…to give you an example of a prank that was pulled back before the Cylons attacked. One of the pilots in my berthing compartment would always talk through every single movie we were trying to watch. It didn't matter if the movie was on the TV channel or from someone's DVD collection."

"I heard someone talking about something similar when I was on the _Poseidon_, that had to be annoying," Stryker said.

Banks nodded his head, "It's incredibly annoying and this frakker had been doing this since workups."

"What all did he do?" Tolen asked.

"He would make stupid jokes or comments about the characters. In truth, it wouldn't be so bad if it were every so often. However, when it is every frakking moment, it gets old fast!"

"What did you do about it?" James asked, knowing that how the Eastern Alliance would have dealt with it would have been considerably different from the Colonial Fleet.

"To make a long story short, a couple of us guys went out and bought some water pistols while we were docked at Lampetia and snuck them onboard. A few nights later, they would prove to be useful. One of the guys had broken out his DVD of _The Cursed Boat_ for us to watch after we had ended flight ops.

"That's one of my movies!" Ratliff exclaimed.

"For what it's worth, I could not help but notice you were in there and enjoyed the movie even more for it," Banks said and after the look from the actress he said, "Strictly art appreciation, of course."

"I'm glad you liked it so much," she said before asking, "So what happened to your crewmate?"

"We were sitting around the TV trying to listen to the movie when the talker walked in. The guys with the water pistols were ready. Let's face it; the guy just couldn't help himself. Lo and behold, when saw what we were watching he started to make comments during the movie. Now we were nice about this; first was the verbal warning and we hoped it was going to be enough. That's optimism for you. Of course, not long after the verbal warning the talker started again; I think he mentioned something about being alone on a tropical island with Neveah."

Neveah Ratliff said nothing but simply rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"All right, Magic, what happened then?" Stryker asked.

"It was then that three of us took the only course of action we had left; the three of us with the water guns hosed the talker with ice cold water all over. I would also like to add that our A/C on the _Victorious_ works _really _well in the berthing. Because of this, he was starting to freeze a little bit. One of the guys, Lieutenant Fredrick Lokrum, told him that was his first and only lesson, he was going to train him the same way he trains his hunting dogs. Every time the talker made a comment during a movie, he was going to get a shot in the face with the water. He got the point though and we never had a problem with the talker again."

The loudspeaker on the side of the room came to life, "Attention Kria Bunker personnel. This is Major Darren Clay. I have received word that the Colonial Army and Marines have landed on Ostarsis. I will be in wireless contact with both General Hyde and General Maxwell, when I have word that it's time for us to evacuate, I will let you know. Remember the training you have been given and your assignment for once we are topside, if everything goes according to plan we'll be off this rock once and for all."

**Kria Bunker, Communications Room: **

"It's happening, Commander," Clay said as he put down the microphone.

"It actually is. The past seven months have been spent living one day to the next. Even when we found the bunker I wasn't sure whether the Cylons would find us or not."

"You may not want to hear this, but they would have found you eventually," Clay said.

"You are the picture of optimism," Woods teased.

"It's just a matter of the odds favoring the Cylons. If your friend hadn't thrown all of his firepower to bear on the toasters we'd be sitting ducks here just waiting to be found and killed."

"It'll be nice to be back on a battlestar again," she admitted.

"What do you think is going to happen to you once you're rescued?" he asked.

"I don't know if there'll be a command for me or not; I'll be happy to be doing something."

"We have to wait not only for our friends to get to our departure point they are also responsible for emptying the prisons that they find on the way there," Clay said.

"What are you planning on now that we know our rescue is at hand?"

"I'm going to have everything of value here packed up to come with us. We need to get as much of the food, medical supplies, and other necessities out of here with us."

Woods nodded, "That would be the right thing to do, and it'd be a shame to leave all of this here to go to waste."

"I've already assigned teams for the job. If all works out, we'll have the supplies at the blast doors. We have the ATVs that can be used."

"We could send a request to Generals Hyde and Maxwell so that they can help to load what we have on any vehicles they may have brought with them."

"Not bad, Woods. Spend enough time around me and you might actually make a decent ground commander," Clay said and watched with amusement as Woods shot him an angry look.

_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC: **

"Admiral, reports are coming in from Hyde and Maxwell's forces. They have successfully landed at their coordinates and are preparing to advance toward their objective. Vipers have engaged Cylon Raiders and should have them mopped up within the hour," Whitfield reported.

"It's gone well so far," Tolan said but in the back of his mind, he wondered something. It was all going a bit too easily in his opinion. While he was normally not the skeptical sort, in the past seven and a half months he'd had to take a more pragmatic approach to battle. A victory was needed, but he could not allow a false sense of security to set in.

"I agree, sir, the Cylons must have been devastated by our orbital bombardment," Whitfield said.

"

That may be the case Mr. Whitfield but let's not get too far ahead of ourselves on that one," Tolan said as he tried to shake the doubts that were swimming around in his mind.

"Sir, the battlestars have ceased taking part in the bombardment. The _Athena_ and _Indra_ report moderate to heavy damage and the _Helios_ and _Xanthus_ have minimal damage so far. The gunnery task force has taken some damage from the encounter with the baseships but nothing that can't be hammered out when the battle is done,"

"While we have some downtime I want DC parties to get detailed reports on battle damage on all ships. Have the corvettes take up a picket formation. If the Cylons show up and launch Raiders I'm going to need them to help throw flak up for us."

"I'm on it, sir," Whitfield said as he relayed the instructions to Petty Officer Jayne Warner at Communications.

Somewhere below on Ostarsis the combined Army and Marine forces were battling their way through the cities and outlying areas. Their mission was simple enough, eliminate the Cylons and rescue any remaining prisoners down there, not only in the Kria Bunker but also those still in the prison camps. It was a tall order, but he had faith that both Generals Hyde and Maxwell could pull it off.

_**Athena**_**, Ready Room Three: **

"Congratulations, Medford, you are the first certifiable ace from this squadron of rookies," Major Simone Merrick said as she raised her glass in salute to the young pilot from Leonis.

"Thank you, Major," Ensign Lynsie 'Magnet' Medford said as she mentally took the time to appreciate what was taking place.

"We have a reason to celebrate here. Most of us managed to shoot down a few of the Cylons but you did enough to qualify as an ace. When you and the rest of this squadron came aboard I had my doubts about you but today all of you justified the time spent on the training that turned you into actual Viper jocks," Merrick said and she saw the pride the pilots in the squadron felt at hearing the praise.

"Admiral on deck," Ensign Clay Callahan called out when the hatch opened and the _Athena_'s flag officer entered the ready room.

"As you were," Rear Admiral James Brannigan said as he walked up to the front of the room where Merrick and Medford were standing.

"Admiral Brannigan, this is an unexpected surprise," Merrick said.

"Good news travels fast around here," Brannigan said. In his mind, he realized that with the damage the _Athena_ had taken during the battle, it was nice to have a reason to celebrate something.

"I had figured the ship would be buzzing with the news," Merrick said. When the battle was over and the Vipers had landed, the Tactical Division had gone through the footage taken by the Vipers' cameras to get an idea of the Cylons' tactical strength and prowess. It was then that it was realized that Ensign Lynsie 'Magnet' Medford had taken down nine Cylon Raiders, thereby earning her the title of 'Ace' and giving a bit of positive news to a crew that was desperately in need of it.

"Indeed it is," Brannigan said before he turned his eyes to Medford, "Ensign Medford, I read your file and it seems you have quite the story. Along with most of your squadron, the Battlestar _Helios_ rescued you from Picon and once you completed your pilot training you were sent here to the _Athena_. Now you've become one of a small number of newly-minted combat aces, and I will send a report to Admiral Tolan immediately after the battle asking that you be recognized for your achievement."

"Thank you, Admiral," Medford said and her thoughts went back to her friend on the _Solace_. Ensign Lacey Tolan and she shared a history that went back to their first day at the Fleet Academy and their friendship had stayed strong since then. Now, here she was being lauded for her achievements while her friend was recovering on the hospital ship _Solace_ from a brutal attack that had taken place shortly before the task force had left for Ostarsis. She wished that Lace could be here to witness this.

**Kria Bunker Conference Room: **

"I have taken some time to amend my plans for the evacuation," Clay said to the group assembled with him.

"What changes have you made?" Woods asked.

"For the sake of unit cohesiveness I am going to keep Delta Force together and have assigned seven of you to serve as division leaders for the evacuation groups. Commander Woods, you are in charge of Division Two. Major Banks, you have Division Three. Mr. James I am giving you Division Four. Ensign Stryker, you will lead Division Five. Lieutenant Evans, you have Division Six. Finally, I am placing Ensign Rigel in charge of Division Seven. Are there any questions?"

"Will we get to choose our subordinates?" Woods asked.

Clay nodded, "I will leave that up to you, of course. I expect you to have a list of subordinates turned in within the hour. I will have the final say on the matter, but I'm the benevolent dictator type so if I do change anything I will try to be gentle about it so you don't go into battle all heartbroken."

"Will there be anything else?" Banks asked.

"Not at this time. You're all dismissed and remember that within the hour I need to have a listing of your choice of four subordinates for your groups," Clay said and when the group had filed out he turned his attention to the listings on the large computer screen he had turned off.

He flipped the switch to turn it on and a listing of names and locations came up on the screen. He had taken the civilians and had split them up among the seven divisions he had created. He had simply used a program he discovered to split randomly the 15,249 refugees housed in the bunker into seven groups. His fingers reached for the keyboard and he input the names of the commanding officers with their division. Up in the respective columns were the names Bridget Woods, Larsen Banks, Darius James, Paul Stryker, Lamont Evans, and Angela Rigel. He felt that this was the best group he could get out of his available options. When this whole affair had started, he was not sure how long he and his men would be able to hold out in the woods of Ostarsis. Now they were actually looking at being rescued; the thought brought a smile to his face.

His father, Damien Clay, had been a Marine during the Cylon War when a need arose to create an on-ship force dedicated to stopping the maneuvers of the Cylons once they had boarded a vessel. This became clear in light of what had happened to the _Brenik_ and the battlestar _Achilles_. A special force known simply as 'Epsilon' was established by Admiral Jonas Stryker and its members were trained with the single mission of preventing the Cylons from taking Auxiliary Damage Control and Aft Fire Control. Damien Clay had spent most of the Cylon War onboard the Battlestar _Leonidas_ as a member of its Epsilon team under the command of Admiral Stryker. a man his father respected above everyone else.

**Kria Bunker, Commander Bridget Woods' Office: **

"We have to come up with four subordinates for our divisions, let's look over our options and get them sorted out," Woods said as she set out a listing of the people she felt would serve well in the role that would be required of them.

"I'll take Robyn Fulton, Nazih Mirza, Sophia Tolen, and Forrest Royal for my subordinates," Woods said.

"I take it this is a case of Commander's Prerogative?" Banks asked jokingly.

"Absolutely, I already found out that Clay took Neveah for his group so I'm going to make sure I get who I want," Woods said.

"Clay took Neveah…did he say why?" Stryker asked.

"He said that he was going to keep the one of the most beautiful women in the Colonies for himself. I wasn't going to argue with him on it too much," Woods said and the comment drew a round of chuckles from the group.

"Banks, who are you going to have for your subordinates?" Woods asked. As the highest-ranking officer in the group, she had taken the de facto leadership role among the people in the room.

"I'll take Samuel Nicholas, James Caldwell, Edward Ballard, and Alia Sabah," Banks said. He had his Raptor ECO and three of the cadets from the Fleet Academy; he felt they would be able to put their training to good use.

"That takes care of that one, what about you Darius?" Woods asked the pirate from the Eastern Alliance. She had to admit they had become friends in the time they had been marooned here on Ostarsis. At times, she had to remind herself that there was a time before the Cylon attacks that she would have shot him as a domestic enemy.

"I'll take Walter Albrecht, Julia Nelson, Emil Velghe, and Carlo Roma," James said. He had worked with these people since they were in the caves and he had come to trust them with his life.

"That leaves us with my two officers from the _Kios_," Woods said as she turned her attention to Lieutenant Lamont Evans and Ensign Angela Rigel.

Eventually the two officers picked their four subordinates for the upcoming operation and the group disbursed to inform the people they had selected.

Woods stayed in her office and picked up the phone to call and inform Clay as to what had happened.

"Clay," the voice said on the other end of the line.

"It's Commander Woods; we've selected our subordinates for our groups."

"I have to admit you were faster about it than I thought you would be, don't you Colonial Fleet types like to analyze things until you're sick just thinking of it?" he asked with a good-natured rib.

"Do you want me to start on again about how arrogant you Delta Force men have been since we met?"

"You do realize that we have always been this sure of ourselves and that was well before you came to my attention," Clay retorted.

"If you have been able to improve our chances of staying alive out there then maybe I can tolerate it for a few more hours," she said.

"You know we had a rocky start when I got here but you have earned my respect Commander, just know that," Clay said as he hung up the phone before the Colonial Fleet officer could say more to him.

Woods sat there stunned and wondered if the Cylons had swapped the Darren Clay, she had met with a replica. There was not much time to think about it, as she had to let her four people know that they were going to be with her.

**Kria Bunker, Chapel: **

Clay walked into the small room that served as the chapel for the bunker and saw the person he was looking for. She was kneeling at the altar though he had no idea which of the gods she was praying to.

"I know it may sound mean, but I never pegged you for the religious type," Clay said as he sat down beside her.

"For the longest time I wasn't but these past seven months have changed things. I thought that it wouldn't hurt to pray for some divine intervention," Neveah Ratliff said.

"Just assume then that I'm a part of the gods' plan to get us out of here; it can only be an improvement having me in charge."

"You should give Commander Woods more credit; all things considered I think she's done well."

"She's done ok, but the problem is that she is a space tactician and that doesn't translate well on the ground. She's a leader though; I can tell there is a sense of loyalty to her by you and the other people in the bunker."

Ratliff smiled at him, "I think that is probably the closest you're going to get to giving her a compliment."

"It's the best she's going to get. Perhaps when we're off this rock she might impress me more, but I believe that in the grand scheme of things it's best to have me in charge. You may not realize this but your odds of surviving went up considerably when I showed up."

"If that happens I may believe you but if I die because of what you have planned, I will come back as a ghost and haunt you."

"The lovely Neveah Ratliff coming back as a ghost to visit me in the middle of the night; well that is something I could get used to. I'd have you as a ghostly girlfriend."

Ratliff shook her head, "You really are full of yourself aren't you?"

"I'm the commander of an elite Army special operations group; it comes with the territory."

"I'll remember that, but if you don't mind I'd rather continue praying," she said and bowed her head.

"You pray for me too while you're at it. As that saying goes, 'Prayer may not help but it can't hurt,'" Clay said as he stood up and left the chapel. He had another destination to go to and he needed to be there to see how the battle on the ground was progressing.

**Kria Bunker, Operations Center: **

"Status report," Clay said as he entered the Operations Center. His people were at the various stations of the small room reading over the reports that had come in from the forces of Generals Hyde and Maxwell.

"Major, we have reports that Hyde's forces have landed in Branwood and Hatherell. Branwood has been secured; it was mainly destroyed in the orbital bombardment. The Cylons are holding Hatherell, but when the forces enter from Branwood there may be a chance that they can clear the Cylons out," Second Lieutenant Adan Ismael said from the command center in the middle of the room.

"Keep me updated on the situation. Has there been any word from General Maxwell?" Clay asked.

First Lieutenant Demarcus Hayes reported, "According to the reports we've received, the Marines have already cleared the outer area of Daventry and are beginning their push toward the city's center. The Cylons are dug in and they are meeting resistance."

"Lieutenant Shelton, I want you to stay on the wireless and inform me if anything major happens," Clay said to Second Lieutenant Matthew Shelton, who was sitting at the wireless station monitoring the traffic from the Army and the Marines.

He left the room and made his way to the President's Office, which Commander Woods had appropriated as her own personal office space. He knocked on the door and when he heard her call for him to enter the room, he did just that.

"Still working on the paperwork, I see," he said as he walked over to her desk and took a seat.

"It at least gives me a sense of normalcy," she said as she made a few notes on a piece of paper before moving it out of the way and looking at him, "What brings you to see me?"

"Just trying to get a feel for where your thoughts are right now."

"Right now, I'm thinking of the past seven and a half months, and how everything has built to this one mission. This is a moment where we can win or lose everything for us and the people here in this bunker."

"You are keeping things in perspective I see," Clay said and waited for Woods' response.

"I've lost my share of people to the Cylons; I want to make sure we can get as many off here as we can. You seem to be intent of keeping Neveah around you, if you don't mind me saying."

"Yeah about that, truth is that I've talked to my people and Neveah being around them is a great morale booster."

"I see, and what does having her nearby mean for you personally?"

Clay thought his answer over before answering, "I heard about what she went through when the Cylons were holding her prisoner. It may sound like I'm trying to be noble, but I know with her near me, the odds of the Cylons hurting her are as close to zero as they can be. You can attribute that to my special forces training, but that's the truth."

Woods was quiet before saying, "Your intentions are noble, Major, just make sure you get her and everyone else under your command off of this rock."

Clay stood and turned to leave, "Believe me, Commander, if I have my way then we'll all get out of here alive."

_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC: **

"Admiral, may I suggest we stand down from Condition One for now," Admiral Naomi Sakura said from her flagship, the battlestar _Helios_.

"It may not be a bad idea, I just worry about the Cylons showing back up," Tolan said.

"We hurt them today, no doubt about that one, but I think we may need to stand down for a period so that the crews can get some rest. If the Cylons show up again we may be too tired to fight effectively."

Tolan thought it over, "We'll stand down to Condition Two for the time being, there is a good chance the Cylons will return."

"I have a feeling you're right, but the problem is that we don't know when they will return."

"Right now they are probably gathering their forces together to have another go at us. The sooner we get those prisoners off Ostarsis the sooner we can be out of here," Tolan said and then he severed the wireless connection. That was something that was bothering him; he honestly had no idea when the Cylons would return. All he was certain of was that they would be back and this time they would not be caught off-guard.

He still felt as though the operation had gone far better than he had anticipated. There would be those in the civilian government who would never even entertain the thought that somehow this rescue mission was the right thing to do.

"Perhaps I should have declared martial law when I had the chance," he muttered.

Walking out of the doors of the Flag CIC to the rail where he could overlook the lower level of the CIC, he looked down to see Commander Dorian Mercer and Colonel Anna Wong in a conversation with their Tactical Officer.

A part of him wanted to know what was going on. Especially since the _Colossus_ was his flagship, but he could not afford to let himself worry about the details of just one ship when he was in overall command of the entire task force. When the battle was over, perhaps he could get a report on the state of the _Colossus_, but now was not the time.

He walked back into the Flag CIC and made his way back to the Command and Control Station.

His mind went over the scenario of the Cylons returning to engage his forces. When would they return and just how ferocious would their counter attack be? Perhaps it would be better if he was an omnipotent as the gods and could have the answer to every question that was on his mind.

'What would be the fun in that?' he thought as he began to read a batch of reports that Ensign Whitfield had brought to him.

Tolan made up his mind to stop worrying and prepare his forces for the oncoming battle. They had taken Round One in convincing fashion, and if the fates allowed then they would be able to claim victory in the upcoming Round Two.


	12. Chapter 12: Time to Be Heroes

**Chapter Twelve: Time to Be Heroes**

**Three Hours, Forty-One Minutes since Chapter Eleven:**

**Battlestar _Colossus_, Flag CIC:**

There was an understandable tension in the Flag CIC of the _Colossus_. Crew went about their duties as they normally would; but there was little conversation. There seemed to be an understanding that the operation was entering what could perhaps be the most critical part. The three _Reynard_ class marine attack ships had successfully landed on Ostarsis and offloaded their load of Army and Marine forces to engage the Cylons after the planetary bombardment from the warstars and cruisers had ended.

Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan had felt a sense of fortune when the _Clermont, Reynard, _and_ Croatan_ had been discovered docked at Linden Shipyard, the same shipyard where the decommissioned _Black River_ had been stored for maintenance work, where their overhauls had been completed.

"Admiral, there's a message coming in from General Maxwell," Ensign Lucien Whitfield reported as he took the printout from Communications and brought it over. The young ensign quickly walked over to Tolan to hand him the report. The paper it was printed on had been recycled so many times that it had a rough, worn feel to it.

"Thank you, Mister Whitfield," Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan said as he looked over the report.

"Looks like the ground forces have managed to clear out the majority of the Cylons and have freed several thousand prisoners from the prisons," Tolan said to Whitfield.

"That's a promising development," he commented.

Tolan nodded his head, "We've been fortunate so far, I can think of a few of my friends saying this was too easy."

"You think the Cylons are going to come back?"

"Yes they are. The toasters know we're here and I'm sure they'd love to jump in and finish us off," Tolan said as he looked down at the message. It would soon be time for the people in the Kria Bunker to make their big entrance onto the battlefield.

"If you don't mind my asking, have you thought about Canceron much since the attack?" Whitfield asked.

"Truthfully, yes I have. My thoughts aren't on Amarna or Iopolis but more on Clio. What about you; any thoughts about Caprica?"

"Most of my family lived in Carthage; I read reports that it took a direct hit from at least three nukes. I wish I had been there to spend time with them before all this happened instead of being on some damn colonizing mission."

Tolan put a reassuring hand on Whitfield's shoulder, "Then there would be a chance you wouldn't be here now to exact some payback. I know it's not much but what we're doing gives us a purpose."

"I wouldn't be surprised to find out that there were those who would prefer the afterlife to what we're living right now."

"If you were one who believed in the afterlife then that would be something to look forward to."

"Considering what the Cylons did, is there even a reason to believe there is one?"

Tolan thought about it for a moment, "There has to be. I'd rather believe that, despite all that's happened, there is something more to this life."

"You're fortunate sir; your family is still alive and together back with the civilian fleet."

Tolan's mind went to the family he had waiting for him. Emily and their triplets were waiting for him to return from this mission. He had promised them that he would, though only Emily would have remembered such a promise. There was also Brooke Bowman. She and her husband, Commander Artimus Bowman of the Battlestar _Hermes_, were family for all intents and purposes. He knew that promising her that he would return was as serious as the promise he had made to Emily and he was determined not to let either one of them down.

The idea that he could fail and not return was in the back of his mind but he had sworn to do all he could to avoid that happening. While he knew it was possible, he could not let the fear of it get the better of him.

His thoughts were interrupted when one of the enlisted crew brought him a report from the _Athena_. Tolan read it over and shook his head in disbelief, "The hull is starting to come apart."

"Is something wrong with the _Athena_?"

"It seems the stresses of combat has caused the hull to start to tear, there have been reports delivered from various areas of the ship where the hull seems be coming apart."

"Has the _Athena_ been that badly damaged?"

"You have to remember that she's an old lady and there's no telling how much hull damage might have been done due to being stored in Category X," Whitfield reminded him. When the _Athena_ as decommissioned and struck from the list of Colonial Fleet vessels it had been stored in what was known as 'Category X' meaning that no attention was given to maintaining it in a status where it could be brought back to service if the need arose.

"There should still be no reason for a ship built during the Cylon War to start tearing itself apart like that," Tolan muttered as he silently cursed his luck. Losing a ship during any war was bad enough, but in this war every ship that was lost could be a devastating blow.

"If I may make a suggestion, when we get back to the fleet we can have the _Athena_ dock in the _Vestal_ and a more thorough hull inspection can be done to determine what is happening."

"That would be preferable, the thing is that we cannot afford to lose another ship and that goes double for a battlestar. I also can't afford to send her away in case the Cylons show up. We'll need both her birds and her guns."

"You'll risk losing the ship and its crew if you do that," Whitfield reminded.

"That's the thing about war Mister Whitfield, there are times when you have to roll the dice and pray that they come up in your favor."

"Do you ever worry that the dice won't come up in your favor?"

"My grandfather taught me some important lessons as I was growing up and one of those was that no matter what your plan is you should always have a backup, just in case."

"In that case, I hope you have a backup plan ready in case things don't go as planned."

"There's no need for you to worry about that, I always have a plan," Tolan said although he mentally added, 'It may not be a great plan but it's better than having no plan at all.'

**Kria Bunker, Conference Room 4-B:**

Major Darren Clay and Colonel Bridget Woods were alone in the conference room. Reports brought to them were on the table in the center of the room, with each officer on opposite sides of the table looking over them.

"Your person, Bonilla, she seems to know what she's doing," Clay said.

"She's been an asset to me from the moment we started hiding from the Cylons," Woods replied. Sharon Bonilla was a computer technology expert who worked in the security industry for the various banks of the Twelve Colonies. She had been the go-to computer person for Woods.

"A pity she didn't go military, I could see her doing much more for the Colonies working for Defense than she ever did for the banks."

"I don't know why she didn't go military but the important thing is that we have her here now."

There was a loud booming sound echoing through the room as if some giant was banging on the side of an equally colossal drum. The room shook for a few seconds and small pieces of masonry broke free, tapping them on their heads.

"There must have been some additional shelling requested from the ground forces," Clay said.

"Probably, but the scary part is that I've started to get used to the shelling. It wouldn't surprise me if the others in the bunker have gotten to that point," Woods replied as she scanned the copies of the communications relayed from the ground forces.

"I admit it surprised me how well my men and I have held up. Then again I've been in worse scrapes than you and your people," Clay said knowing that Woods could not really argue the point.

"I will be glad to be out of here and back on a battlestar, it will be nice to be back in my element."

"Are you telling me that you have no desire to lead a ground force ever again?" Clay asked knowing he was probably irritating her.

She did not take the bait. "I'll leave the ground fighting for those who were given 'special' training for it. I'll be more than content to command a battlestar again."

"Not that I want to cut this talk short, but we should be go make sure we have everything ready. No harm in double and triple checking everything just to play it safe."

"I agree, if you need me you can find me in my quarters," Woods said as she turned and left the conference room.

When Woods had left the room Clay ran a hand over his head and took a deep breath. The time was almost upon them and he began to feel a faint sense of doubt creep into his mind. None could ever know what weighed on his mind; that was a burden of command that he carried, and he would not let even his most trusted people know. A public persona was the one people needed to believe in. If he let that persona slip and showed his doubts about what was to come then that could be as deadly to them and their mission as opening the Kria Bunker's massive blast doors and letting the Cylons know that they were there.

'Dad, if you were here now you'd probably do the same thing,' Clay thought as his mind brought back memories of his father. Captain Damien Clay had been a member of the Colonial Fleet's Special Forces when the Cylon War began. Later on in the Cylon War, he would become a member of EPSILON, a group of soldiers tasked with ensuring that the ships of the fleet would not fall prey to Cylon boarding tactics. The goal had been to prevent another incident like the one that happened to the battlestar _Achilles_ to happen to another ship. In the coming battle, he would need to find the kind of inner strength to get the job done that his father had undoubtedly used.

**Kria Bunker, Mess Hall Three:**

"I know you probably don't like being away from your ship, but at least you can confirm that my brother and his ship survived the Cylon attack," Cadet Carlo Roma of the Aquaria Military Academy sophomore class said. His brother, Ensign Claudio 'Razor' Roma, was a Viper pilot onboard the Battlestar _Stryker_.

"If I had my preference I'd have rather stayed on the _Stryker_ instead of having to survive in the wilderness," Ensign Paul 'Torch' Stryker said.

"I do envy you a bit, Torch," Fleet Academy cadet Sophia Tolen said before adding, "You have at least had the chance to fly a Viper and land on a battlestar."

"Raptors are just as much fun to fly as a Viper is, Tolen," Major Larsen 'Magic' Banks shot interjected.

"I'll be diplomatic then and say something that I heard about flying that rings true. As someone once said to me, 'Flying is one of the most exciting things you can do with your clothes on.'" Stryker said.

"I have to agree with you on that one, Torch. I was given some basic understanding of flying a Viper before I switched over to Raptors," Banks said.

"Did you ever use your Viper training?" he asked.

The room shook with the sound of heavy weapons fire landing nearby, reminding them that a battle was taking place nearby.

"Admiral Tolan made me CAG of the _Victorious_ and I flew a Viper during an engagement against the toasters at Cosmora," Banks said and he noticed Tolen flinch at the mention of Tolan.

"You two have some stories to tell about being deployed, that's for sure," Darius James, a member of the pirate ground Eastern Alliance, said with a shake of his head.

"Magic probably has more of them than I do; but when you think about it, we have quite a bit to tell," Stryker said.

"Don't even let me get started on laundry on a battlestar," Banks said which drew an understanding laugh from Stryker.

"I understand how that is, I'm sure it was same for me on the _Poseidon_ as it was for you on the _Victorious_."

"Attention all personnel, this is Major Clay, I have received a communiqué from General Maxwell informing me that both he and General Hyde are unloading prisoners that have been rescued from the prison camps here on Ostarsis. When that is done, it will be time for us to leave this rock permanently. Further updates as they arrive, Clay out."

**_Colossus_, Flag CIC:**

"Admiral Tolan, reports are coming in that the transports are bringing the wounded and prisoners from the camps up. What ship do you want them to make their way to?" Whitfield asked.

"I want them to dock with the _Black River_. If I recall, they have the medical facilities to serve as a combat hospital," Tolan said. The _Black River_ was a Marine Command Ship of the _Hesperus_ class.

"Fortunately for us, we have the three _Reynards_ with us as well," Whitfield commented. The_ Reynard_ class was a similar version of the _Hesperus_, only without the command facilities. Usually the two vessels worked in tandem on the idea that more troops would be available as well as additional medical facilities.

"I'm glad it's an option we have. In the kind of war we've been in for the last seven months you use whatever weapons you have at your disposal," Tolan said in reference to the _Black River_. The ship should have still been in active service. Budget cuts ultimately led to its decommissioning. The Colonial Fleet must have seen the value of it as it was maintained in an excellent state of preservation so that bringing it back up to service was relatively easy.

"Forgive me for saying this but if that's the case then we should have brought the _Victorious_, _Achilles_, and _Maytoria_ with us for this battle?"

"It's a matter of using our forces wisely. We needed to leave some of our ships behind to protect the civilians in case the Cylons show up."

"Do you trust the Eastern Alliance to join the fight if the Cylons do try to attack the civilians?"

"I like to think so, it's not like we're making an alliance with the Erebea, and if trouble comes then they'll be in the fight with us. Like it or not we're in this together."

"I understand that their odds of surviving go up by working with us. The thing that bothers me is can you trust Magnus Ah-Mun?"

Tolan thought about it before he said, "The man was once a pilot in the Fleet during the Cylon War, I doubt even a life of piracy has caused him to lose his sense of honor. He's been cooperative with us so far, I don't see that changing any time soon."

"I wish I shared your optimism, sir."

"Mister Whitfield, you just need to stop being so pessimistic."

"With all due respect Admiral Tolan I see myself as being more of a realist than a pessimist."

"That's what all pessimists like to think," quipped Tolan.

**Daventry, Ostarsis:**

**Army/Marine Mobile Command Unit:**

"There they go," Brigadier General Otus Maxwell of the Colonial Marine Corps said as one of the Marine dropships began its ascent from the surface.

"Are you sure there aren't any of the air defense towers remaining?" Major General Alice Hyde of the Colonial Army asked as she watched the dropship's progress towards the sky.

"I'm sure the warstars and the cruisers made short work of those. Otherwise, we'd have been in serious trouble whenever we landed. I wondered if the Cylons had some surprised hidden but nothing has shown itself so far."

"Once we get the prisoners and wounded off we should send word to Clay to get his people out of that bunker as quickly as possible."

Hyde looked around their surroundings. Daventry had once been one of the jewels that made up the cities of Ostarsis and now it was all a smoldering ruin. Orbital bombardment from the Colonial Fleet and their ground engagement with the Cylons had made sure that the gleaming playground of the rich and famous lost its entire luster.

"When he makes his run for it we'll need all three Reynards plus the dropships to get everyone off at the same time."

"I'd rather we do that then spend our time waiting for a possible Cylon counter attack."

Maxwell looked at the hulks of the three _Reynard_ attack ships. They were specifically designed for landing operations after an area had been bombarded from space. The Cylon garrison on Ostarsis had been mostly neutralized. This explained how easy it was for the Army and Marine forces to root out the pockets of Cylon forces that had survived the orbital bombing.

"We've done well, Maxwell," Hyde said as though there was a chance she was about to say something she did not think possible, "your Marines have done a damn good job out here. I didn't think our forces could put aside our rivalry but it seems they did that."

"Damn it Hyde, now you're going to force me to go and say something nice in return," Maxwell said as he shook his head in disbelief, "I think your troops showed that when we're fighting a common enemy we can stop the in-fighting and kick some Cylon ass."

"Now was that so hard?" Hyde teased.

"You have no frakking idea," Maxwell muttered as he walked out of the mobile command center to converse with his officers. As he spoke to them, his nostrils flared as they recognized the smell of an impending battle.

In the distance he could hear sporadic bursts of assault rifle as the troops exchanged fire with the few Cylons still in the area. They had managed to take most of the enemy forces but there were still those stubborn holdouts determined to fight to the last. The ground forces had paid their share of the price for liberating the prisoners and were continuing to pay for it a little at a time.

**_Colossus_, CIC:**

"Thank you for being so prompt Mister Leyen," Commander Dorian Mercer said as he took the reports from Major Andras Leyen, the Tactical Officer of the _Colossus_, and began to scan over them.

"Chief Minden reports that all fires have been extinguished and the DC parties have helped evacuate the wounded to sickbay," Colonel Anna Wong, the _Colossus'_ XO, reported.

"That's a relief, looks like our girl is as tough as advertised," Mercer said with the joy one would expect of a proud parent.

"Tell that to the crew of the _Geryon_," Wong reminded.

"There was no way we could have known about the Cylon backdoor in the CNP. Besides, Admiral Aylmer ordered us to jump away before the toasters could try to destroy us," Mercer said as his mind went back to that day when the _Colossus_, _Geryon,_ and the _Indra_ engaged the Cylons after their colonization force had been recalled to the Colonies by President Adar in the immediate aftermath of the Cylon attack. Vice Admiral Matthew Aylmer, using the _Geryon_ as his flagship, had ordered all ships of the colonization fleet to jump away before the Cylons got too close. Mercer had followed orders though it was with General Hyde protesting vigorously.

"Did the Chief send his reports on the air wing?"

"Major Bahadur filed his reports," Wong said as she thumbed through the reports that the CAG, Major Javed Bahadur, had sent once the squadron had landed, "Nothing yet from Chief Mendin but I'm sure he'll get those in soon."

"Not bad for a day's work, if this were a normal time of war I'd grant the crew shore leave."

"I think you can let them spend time on the _Olympica_ and they'd enjoy that just as much."

Mercer smiled at her, "Do I detect my XO trying to tell me something?"

"You're the smart Aquarian; I think you can tell when I, a Leonisian, am trying to hint that she wants shore leave on a luxury liner."

The two shared a short laugh, with all the tenseness of the rescue mission; it was something that was needed.

"Fair enough, when we survive this you can be the lead officer of the first group sent on shore leave."

"What do you think of Admiral Tolan so far?" Wong asked quietly as her head instinctively turned to where the Flag CIC was located.

"Just between us, I had my doubts about him when he came onboard. I think most people who had never served under him just knew him by reputation, and the majority of those people were probably influenced by what Admiral Stryker thought of him."

**Kria Bunker:**

**Communications Center:**

Clay and Woods both looked over the piece of paper that had just printed. It contained a phrase, the one phrase they had long desired to read.

"Over all of Ostarsis, the sky is clear," Clay said quietly as the meaning of the phrase began to sink in.

"I never thought I'd be so happy to see that message," Woods exclaimed as she felt a wave of relief come over her. After all this time, the seven and a half months spent here on Ostarsis had felt like an eternity.

"I figured you would be, but let's save the celebrating for when we get off of this rock," Clay said as he walked over to pick up the receiver that would allow him to address the people inside the Bunker. He looked over at Woods and she simply nodded her agreement with what he was about to do.

"This is Major Clay, I want everyone's attention for what I am about to tell you. I am here in the Kria Bunker's communications center and I am holding a communiqué from General Alice Hyde. I won't bore you with the technical details but I will tell you that the Colonial Army and Marines have cleared us a path to Daventry and from there our rescue from his miserable hunk of rock we've been forced to call 'home' for the past seven months. I know you've been training as hard as possible for this and I have kept you busy stripping as many supplies as we can bring with us. I assure you that when we reach our ships and you step onto that deck you will be breathing the air of a free person, and that will make all the hardship and sacrifice worthwhile. You have been divided up into groups and assigned numbers. Now is the time for you to take your place at the exit points assigned to you…be ready to leave here within the hour. Gods willing we will meet up again so that we can leave Ostarsis once and for all."

Clay took his finger off the 'transmit' button and set the receiver down.

"Let's get to our spots, Clay," Woods said as she offered him her hand, "It's been a rough ride but I'm thankful you were here to help with it."

Clay shook her hand, "It's been an honor, Commander Woods. If all works out I'll see you on the other side."

The two officers left the room followed by the personnel stationed there when the message came in. Everyone in the Kria Bunker knew what was about to happen. Their time spent in the shadows was about to end. Once they left the bunker there would be no turning back. If any Cylons had not been killed by the Colonial forces then they could pose a danger.

Woods saw the other five people assigned to lead the groups out of the bunker. Major Larsen Banks, Lieutenant Lamont Evans, Ensign Angela Rigel, Ensign Paul Stryker, and Darius James were hurrying out of the Level Three mess hall.

"The five of you over here," Woods shouted as she motioned for them to come into the nearby office area. When they entered the room she closed the door, "You heard the announcement. This is the moment we've been waiting for."

"It's hard to believe it's actually happening," Rigel said.

"I agree, ever since we escaped from the Cylons it seems all we've done is wait here until we were rescued or the toasters found us," Evan said.

"If it wasn't for finding this place we'd have all bought it long ago," Banks said and he was glad to see Stryker nodding his head in agreement.

"I know Clay has been leading us lately but you did well when you were on your own," James added.

"Thank you, Darius," Woods said as she dropped her formality, "I have worked with all of you in the past, with the exception of Ensign Stryker. I just wanted to let you know that all of you have made me proud. I know fate forced us into this situation but I think we responded and did what had to be done."

"If you don't mind me saying there is something I've thought since the worlds came to an end," Banks offered.

"What would that be, Magic?" Woods said using his call sign.

"I've told myself that there's nothing to complain about, life is a gamble and we're still in the game."

"Good quote to use," Woods said before choosing her next words, "It's been an honor to have gone through this…adventure with all of you. Stay safe out there leading your people to the landing zone and I will see you all on the other side once we're away from here one and for all. May the Gods walk with you."

The others echoed the sentiment before leaving the room. Woods took a deep breath to steady her nerves. This was actually going to happen; they would finally be rescued. Her mind tried to be rational and remind her of how slim their chances of survival were. However, she held to her belief, the one she had held onto for seven months, which was that even a slim chance of survival was better than having no chance at all.

**Two Hours, Twelve Minutes Later:**

**Army/Marine Mobile Command Center:**

"The wounded and the rescued prisoners have been loaded onto the _Black River_," Hyde said to Maxwell once she stepped out of the mobile command center.

"We've started loading up our equipment onto the three attack ships. Have you heard from the resistance?" Maxwell asked.

Hyde put her binoculars to her eyes and scanned the horizon. "Nothing yet. Wait. I think I just saw the mountain open up."

Maxwell raised a skeptical eyebrow at her, "Are you sure you mean that?"

Hyde pointed towards a nearby mountain range, "Look in that direction. I swear the side of the mountain just opened up."

Maxwell let out a small chuckle and looked through his binoculars in the direction Hyde was pointing. He was expecting to see nothing but a mountain until he saw the opening and as he zoomed in with the binoculars, he saw people coming out of it. "I'll be damned; it looks like our people are coming to us."

"Admit it, Maxwell, you thought I had gone crazy."

"I thought that about you long before this operation," Maxwell grunted as he kept his eyes on the people streaming out of what appeared to be a set of large blast doors.

"I'll ignore that for the time being," Hyde said as she continued to look at the people leaving the Kria Bunker, "Looks like we're going to need to use the transport shuttles that came back from the _Black River_. Which battlestar should they go to?"

"Send them to the _Colossus_, it's the largest ship in the task force and can handle the extra personnel easily enough."

"I agree with you, the nice thing I've observed about the _Titan_ class is that it has plenty of space."

"Did you ever go on the _Colossus_ when it was with your colonization group?"

Hyde shook her head, "I spent my time on the _Geryon _since it was Admiral Aylmer's flagship. Going by size alone those ships were impressive, if I hadn't have had a guide with me during my initial visits I'd have been lost for about a week."

"I toured _Titan_ after it was officially commissioned; I did an inspection of the ship's MARDET," Maxwell said before he got quiet again.

"I believe we need our troops to start loading up the equipment they don't need. We seem to have sent the Cylons packing from here. If there are any nearby they're not trying to make any kind of move against us."

"I hope they stay away. Gods know we've done enough damage on their account," Maxwell said as he surveyed the ruined city around them.

"We certainly didn't help with that but I can say with complete honesty that they started it," Hyde said as she looked around the city as well, "The sad part is that this was a really beautiful city before the Cylons invaded. I can see why the rich and famous used it as their personal playground."

"Yeah it was like their mini-Caprica, or at least that's what the videos always presented it as."

"Well there's no use in reminiscing over the past, let's get ready for those people from the Kria Bunker so we can load them up and out of here."

"Sounds good to me," Maxwell said as he began giving the orders to his Marines while Hyde did likewise with her Army troops.

Unknown to the ground forces, the enemy was currently keeping a close watch. Off in the distance on a hilltop were the remains of a Cylon listening post that had been set up when Ostarsis had been occupied. The structure had taken a direct hit from a shell fired from the main guns of the warstar _Svalin_.

**Ostarsis, Solares Hill: **

To the north of Daventry was the area that served as the eastern border between the middle of Ostarsis and the northern area that had yet to be transformed into a habitable area. This mountainous region was known as the Snowdonia Mountains. Among the many peaks of this mountain range was Solares Hill. After the intense bombardment from the Colonial Fleet, the mountains bore scars from where the shells had impacted and exploded. It was as though giant invisible javelins had been thrown at the mountains.

Centurions had been stationed in the area in case of such an occasion. However, their orders were to avoid detection when the Colonials came to the moon. Word of the operation had been leaked in advance and the Cylons had decided to use this to their advantage. When the ships left the ground and began to make their way back into space was when the Cylons would strike and eliminate the largest known group of military survivors in one attack.

Utilizing a communications device, it sent a coded message to the Cylon fleet that had 'retreated' from Ostarsis after an initial confrontation with the Colonial forces. The message was now sent and the Centurions waited there, knowing that the time had arrived to eliminate the task force that lurked up in the stars around Ostarsis.

**Atteria System:**

**Cylon Baseship:**

The Number Four known as Kimmel, the model who portrayed a Colonial Fleet officer, was in charge of the Cylon task force took his hand out of the data stream and smiled, "The Colonials are preparing to leave Ostarsis, and the prisoners are preparing to board their shuttles."

"I can't believe they survived," Five said with obvious disbelief in his voice.

"You were so certain you had destroyed them when the centurions blasted the cavern's entrance," One said as he walked over to where the Five was standing, "The trick to killing an enemy is to make sure that they are actually dead. That's how this process works!"

"There are times when the seven of you fight like some dysfunctional married family," Admiral Peter Corman said as he watched the scene unfold from the chair that he was tied to.

"You have done nothing but taunt us since you were brought on here," Three said as she walked over and put a hand around the front of his throat, "Perhaps I should go ahead and put you out of your misery."

"You're not going to get me to beg," Corman said.

"We're not going to kill him just yet," Kimmel said as he took a hold of Three's hand and removed it from Corman's neck.

"You're just delaying the inevitable," Three said once he had released her hand.

"I want him to watch his forces fall in battle and know that the both the ships and the crews on them are gone with the rest of humanity."

Three looked at Corman, "A pity he wants you alive, I could think of so many ways to end your life."

Corman glared at her. "If you only knew how badly I wanted some earplugs right about now."

"I want to give the people on the ground time to get airborne and then we'll eliminate them all once they're in space," Kimmel announced as he smiled at the thought of knowing that he would eliminate Scott Tolan and his task force.

He felt a large measure of pride in what was going to take place when his forces jumped to Ostarsis. Scott Tolan had been like many of the other officers who had survived the initial attack on the Twelve Colonies, an annoying fly that had yet to be effectively swatted. Now was the time to remedy that problem permanently.

He had to swallow his pride when he was with Tolan's fleet and accept the man's authority. There had been times he wished he could have pulled his sidearm out and simply put a slug right through the man's heart or head but that would have been too simple. What better way to defeat Tolan than at his own game on the battlefield?

**Forty-Eight Minutes Later:**

**Battlestar _Colossus_, Flag CIC:**

"The Army and Marine forces have been loaded up on their ships and are preparing to leave the surface along with all of the supplies that could be salvaged from the Kria Bunker," Whitfield reported as he did what he could to hide his excitement.

"Were there any casualties or engagements with the Cylons?" Tolan asked.

Whitfield shook his head, "Negative, sir; it appears the orbital bombardment and the combined forces of the Army and Marines was enough to obliterate the enemy garrison."

"That's a pleasant surprise," Tolan said as he allowed a smile to come to his lips.

"Admiral we have multiple DRADIS contacts dead ahead of the task force," Lieutenant Tanya Mullins announced from Tactical.

"Friend or foe?" Tolan asked.

"Cylons sir, we have eleven baseships coming our way."

"I want Condition One set throughout the fleet. All ships are to take up defensive formations, put us between the Cylons and Ostarsis. I want Vipers launched immediately with at least one squadron left in the tubes ready to launch if they're needed. Let all flag and commanding officers know that if the Cylons are able to get past us, the three Marine ships and the transport shuttles are sitting ducks," Tolan ordered immediately and watched the movements of his task force on the DRADIS screen as the ships began to follow his orders.

"Our Vipers are within range of the Cylon Raiders," Mullins reported.

"Looks like things are heating up again," Whitfield stated.

"That's an understatement, Mister Whitfield. All we can do is fire our guns and make them regret coming back for another visit," Tolan said as he watched the distance between his force and the Cylons shrink.

"Our forces have begun engaging the Cylons, automated damage reports are beginning to come in," Whitfield reported as he watched Mullins' screen come to life with reports from the various ships in the fleet.

"Have any ships suffered additional damage yet?"

"_Nemesis_ and _Conqueror_ are reporting fires breaking out on the ship, the corvettes are trying to throw up flak to protect us and the other battlestars but they're taking a pounding, and the warstars are reporting that some of their point-defense guns are out of commission."

"Tell the corvettes that if they cannot hold out longer then they have my permission to jump away," Tolan said. Truth of the matter was that the corvettes were not ideal for a punching match such as the one they were currently engaged in. It was a risk but he could not have allowed them to stay where they would be among the first ships destroyed in the firefight. He was already feeling thankful for his decision to send the _Vestal_ away instead of having it stay on the periphery of the battle.

"Sir, the lead Cylon baseship is breaking formation and coming closer to us along with three other baseships," Mullins reported with her voice betraying the fear she was feeling.

"I wonder if the Cylons know I'm on here; wouldn't surprise me if those bastards know it," Tolan said as he looked at the electronic reports Mullins was forwarding to the Command and Control Station. The reports were painting a grim picture. It seemed as though the earlier action had weakened his forces and now the Cylons were closing in for the kill.

"Missiles incoming," Mullins announced and all eyes went to the DRADIS screen. If it were possible to hold the line long enough to get everyone safely off Ostarsis then they could jump away before the Cylons killed them all.

With a deafening boom, the missiles from the baseships made contact with the hull of the _Colossus_. Consoles flickered and sparks flew out of various pieces of equipment. The impact of the missiles was strong enough to fling several of the officers in the Flag CIC to the deck hard; Fleet Admiral Scott Tolan was among them. He grabbed a hold of the Command and Control Station and picked himself up off the deck. The other personnel in the Flag CIC were starting to get themselves off the deck and go back to their duty stations. More missile impacts from either the baseships or the Cylon Raiders caused the _Titan_ class battlestar to shake as though it were a ship being tossed on the ocean by a violent storm.

"Sitrep," the Admiral of the Fleet called out.

"Commander Mercer has already deployed the Damage Control teams. All ships are starting to report heavy damage from engaging the Cylons. The battlestars are also taking a beating. The _Helios_ has sustained damage though Admiral Sakura reports that they are only flesh wounds. The _Xanthus_ has sustained moderate damage to the topside of its hull and to the port flight pod. The cruisers are reporting damage to barrels of their main turrets but that has not stopped them from firing at the Cylons. The warstars are reporting that their armor is keeping them from sustaining serious damage but Admiral Ramos is not sure how long that will last. The battlecruisers are reporting heavy damage along the lines of what the cruisers have suffered. The _Indra_ and _Athena_ are not sure how much longer they can hold on. We have reports of multiple hull breeches but we're still doing better than a lot of the ships out there…" Mullins said before she received a new status report, "The deaths of Admirals Morton and Haddock have been confirmed."

Tolan mentally wanted to shout 'Frak' but knew this was not the time or place, "Send word to Commander Arrington on the _Svalin_ that she is now in command of Admiral Morton's gunnery task force. I want all ships to hold the line until they're no longer able to."

"Admiral, the transports from Ostarsis have begun liftoff from the surface and are bound for space," Ensign Lucien Whitfield announced.

'The stakes have just been raised,' Tolan thought. The whole point of this mission was to get those people off Ostarsis. Engaging the Cylons was a necessary part of the plan but if he could have done it without fighting the Cylons, he would have preferred it. He had to do what he could to give those transports and the three Marine assault ships a chance to get out of Ostarsis' atmosphere and jump away to safety.

The _Colossus_ rocked with more hits from the Cylons, they were in trouble and there was no telling if they were going to get out of this with the forces they had on hand. What could they do tip the scales in their favor?

Tolan thought for a moment about what to do and it was then that the idea came to him. A part of his mind told he was crazy for even thinking of trying it but he knew it was a risk that he was going to take. However there was really no other way around it and ultimately had to be done, "I want a Priority One distress signal sent out away asking for any assistance that can be given. Transmit in the clear. Send my authorization code along with it."

Whitfield nodded and began entering the distress message. Transmitting it in the clear would allow it to be picked up by any Colonial Fleet units that were not past the Red Line. Sending Tolan's authorization code, something that came with any flag officer in the fleet, should put any fears of the distress call being a Cylon trick to rest.

"Distress call has been sent," Whitfield announced.

"Excellent," Tolan said with relief at the prompt response from Whitfield and the rest of the staff. A resolve began to form in his mind. He began to realize that this was going to be the moment where they could either win the day or lose it all, "I want you to send word to all ships…they are to hold the line no matter the cost."


	13. Chapter 13: What Shall We Die For

**Chapter 13: What Shall We Die For**

**Battlestar**_** Victorious**_**: **

The doors to the CIC slid open and in walked Admiral James Jonasson; the flag officer left behind in charge of the small group of three battlestars and one cruiser had yet to show up in the CIC since the task force left for Ostarsis.

"Admiral on deck!" someone shouted and immediately the CIC came to attention as Admiral James Jonasson strode into the CIC.

"Anything new to report?" he asked Commander Andre Graystone once he was within earshot of the commanding officer of the Battlestar _Victorious_.

"Earlier we received the transmission from the _Colossus_ letting us know that the attack on Ostarsis has begun."

"There's no going back then; we'll stay at Condition One in case the Cylons find out where we are and take advantage of the situation. I'll be in the Flag CIC if something arises," he said and then he left the room as quickly as he had come in.

"Well that was surprisingly brief," Colonel Celina Cruz, the XO of the _Victorious_, said.

"He's got the entire battle group to run; he can do it better from the Flag CIC. At least the repair crews got it functioning again."

"You think you're going to get flag rank at some point?"

"That depends, Celina, are you bucking for command of the _Victorious_?"

"Maybe one day, but for now I'm content being your right hand on this ship."

"How about my left hand," Graystone replied who was left-handed, as he started to laugh.

"Shut up," Cruz replied.

"It makes you wonder how things are going with Scott at this moment," Graystone said. With only Cruz within earshot, he felt comfortable enough to refer to his brother-in-law by his first name.

Cruz let out a frustrated sigh, "I wish we were there with them, I'd love to get some more hits in against the Cylons."

"I understand, but we're needed to guard the civilians, with the help of the Eastern Alliance of course," Graystone said hoping it would put his XO at ease about how she felt. Truth was, he wanted to be in the fight at Ostarsis more than anything but their place was here. The _Victorious_ had taken serious damage at Cosmora, and sending it to Ostarsis in its current condition would only make the situation worse.

"Ah yes, the Eastern Alliance. Under normal circumstances we'd be considered crazy for working with pirates."

Graystone shrugged, "These aren't exactly 'normal' circumstances we're under here and right now I'd take their help since there aren't exactly any reinforcements coming in from the Fleet."

"I keep thinking about how our lives were before the Cylons came back. I had a nice gig going there on the _Atlantia_ as a Viper pilot, had a house back home on Caprica that was my pride and joy."

"You and your house in Auburn. You always went on about how you helped to design it and had it made just the way you wanted. That got talked about as much as the story of how you got your call sign."

Cruz stifled a laugh, "Yeah, that one incident back on the _Stryker_ played a part in that one." She had just graduated from Abry Military Academy when she was posted to the Orion class battlestar. One of the pilots had been a year ahead of her at the Academy and remembered the time when a fellow student had come in behind her too close on landing and almost caused her to lose control of her training Viper. She had gotten out of her cockpit and stormed over to the pilot and informed him that if he was going to frak her then at least pull her hair so she would enjoy it. From that moment on the squadron had known her as 'Vixen' and the name had stuck with her when she graduated and gotten her first posting on a battlestar.

"From the way you tell the story, he remembered the incident that earned you the name 'Vixen' and told the squadron leader that he should let you keep the call sign."

"I even got it tattooed on me during my first shore leave," Cruz said

"Commander Graystone, we just received a Priority One message from Admiral Tolan. It was transmitted in the clear and. It's a distress call from Ostarsis," Petty Officer First Class Estella Melendez reported from Communications.

Graystone walked over from the Command and Control Station and took the paper from Melendez's hand. When he walked back, he found Cruz waiting for him.

"What's going on; is that message authentic?" she asked and it was then she turned and saw the look on Graystone's face. Just seeing the serious expression on it was enough to confirm her suspicions that the message was, in fact, authentic.

Graystone entered the authorization code attached and nodded, "Priority One distress signal calling for all available help to come right away. We need to let Admiral Jonasson know so we can get on our way to Ostarsis."

**Twenty-Seven Minutes Later:**

_**Olympica**_**, Presidential Suite: **

"Major Cain, am I to believe that your mission to the _Jauron_ rounded up everyone except for Dante Solis?" Governor David Rush asked his guest.

Major Mitchell Cain nodded, "My team searched the_ Jauron_ from top to bottom and even found some secret compartments that weren't on the schematics. Solis found a way to escape from us."

Rush appraised the former Ministry of Intelligence officer. "Do you think there may have been a leak on your team or even a spy that you weren't aware of?"

"It was a definite possibility for me to consider. Truthfully, yeah I can see either of those happening. Perhaps Solis has operatives in place that we had no idea existed."

"What are you planning to do about it?"

"We'll regroup and start the search for him. He escaped me once; I won't let it happen again."

"I wish you the best of luck with your hunt, Major Cain; you still have my authorization to use any means necessary to bring Solis to justice. That includes lethal force if the situation calls for it."

Cain nodded and left the room.

Rush pressed the button that alerted his receptionist to send in his next appointment. The doors opened and in stepped Magnus Ah-Mun wearing what qualified as an Eastern Alliance officer dress uniform.

"Governor Rush, I thank you for taking the time to have me over for a meeting," Ah-Mun said as he walked over and shook Rush's outstretched hand.

"You are a vital part of this fleet now that we have you and your people here; you warrant my time and attention so we can be on the same page."

"Fair enough, I still want to thank you," Ah-Mun said as he took a seat near Rush's desk.

"How are things going on your new home?" Rush asked in reference to the Cylon baseship that the Eastern Alliance had captured during the Second Battle of Cosmora.

"We're settling in nicely, both the Colonial Fleet and your government have been surprisingly kind to us," Magnus Ah-Mun, the 'Admiral' of the Eastern Alliance said as he took a sip of water from the tumbler that had been handed to him.

"It's a case of mutual survival; most of us are able to put the bad blood behind us. Right now, we need each other. If it means we must forget about what your people did before the Cylons attacked, then I can go along with it."

"You are a man who sees the big picture; that's an admirable trait to have at a time like this," Ah-Mun said.

Before Rush could respond the door to the office swung open and in stepped Admiral Jonasson and Fleet Admiral John Kronus.

"Gentlemen, I assume there's a good reason for barging in here like this," Rush said as he stood up.

"If this is a military matter I should probably stay," Ah-Mun said. Jonasson looked as if he was going to disagree but a look from Kronus quieted him.

"Yes, we're going to need you for this meeting," Kronus said before positioning himself to where both Rush and Ah-Mun could see him. "About ten minutes ago we received this message from Admiral Tolan."

Rush saw from the look on Kronus' face that it was not good news, "Let me have a look at it."

As he read it the color seemed to drain from Rush's face. "This can't be real."

"I'm afraid it is, Governor, the message includes Tolan's authorization code so that we would know it was authentic and not a Cylon ruse."

"What does the message say?" Ah-Mun asked.

"The Cylons have jumped to Ostarsis with thirteen baseships and are currently attacking the task force. The people being rescued had just left the ground and had yet to make it to where they could get away. Tolan's task force is all that stands between them and annihilation," Kronus said before turning his attention to Rush, "We need to send our remaining forces to Ostarsis to aid Admiral Tolan. The _Victorious, Achilles, Maytoria_, and _Neleus_ can leave as soon as the order is given."

"The Eastern Alliance can have the _Revenge_ ready or even the _Balius_ if need be," Ah-Mun said in reference to his current flagship, a captured Cylon War era baseship. The _Balius _was his former flagship, a Caprica City class heavy battlecruiser that had been turned over to the Colonial Fleet after the capture of the baseship, both of which were ready to join the fight.

"I thought the point of leaving those ships behind was so that they would not risk destruction. Both _Victorious_ and _Achilles_ are heavily damaged and the _Achilles_ still has battle damage from the Cylon War! Both the _Maytoria_ and the _Neleus_ are both serving as training vessels at this time. I'm assuming you are aware of this, am I right?" Rush asked.

"Yes, but we cannot answer a distress call from a ship that's in need, and right now the bulk of our fighting force is facing destruction at Ostarsis. We can get an air group on the _Maytoria_ easily enough, and we can leave the Eastern Alliance here to guard the fleet."

"What if you run into trouble, am I supposed to send the Eastern Alliance in to save the day if you can't handle the Cylons?"

"I understand your concern," Kronus said before pressing on, "We need to get those ships out of there so we can have them and the people they're bringing back to continue this fight against the Cylons and keep all of us safe."

There was a pause as Rush weighed his options. As much as he wanted to keep the civilians safe, he knew deep down that Kronus was right, "You are cleared to proceed to Ostarsis. However, I want Jonasson to lead the task force. Admiral Kronus you are to stay here with me, and I expect no argument on it. You make whatever preparations you need to and go bring Admiral Tolan and the task force home. We'll see you at the Dothan System." As part of the mission plan, the civilian and Eastern Alliance ships were to jump to the Dothan System to await the return of the task force.

**Ostarsis: **

**Battlestar **_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC:**

It had been over forty-seven minutes now since the distress signal had been sent and so far, none had come to the aid of the task force. If any help did come, it might be too late.

"What's the status on the Marine ships?" Tolan asked as the _Colossus_ shook violently from the impact of more enemy fire finding its mark.

"The _Reynard, Clermont_, and _Croatan_ are reporting that they can jump away immediately," Lieutenant Tanya Mullins reported.

"The _Black River_ has its FTL spooled up and jump away with the Marine ships. The Marine shuttles have requested permission to land on the _Colossus_ and the _Helios_," Ensign Lucien Whitfield reported from where he had taken over at Communications.

"Grant them permission to jump away immediately, the rest of the task force needs to stay in place until the shuttles are onboard our ship and the _Helios_. Send words to Commander Mercer and Admiral Sakura to fall back from the battle line," Tolan ordered, as he looked at the damage reports that were showing on the display of the Command and Control Station. The situation was bleak and was not getting brighter.

**Lead Cylon Baseship: **

Kimmel let out a shout of triumph when he saw the _Colossus_ starting to fall back, "Run, you bastard, you can't escape this time!"

"Looks like his luck has run out," One declared with a malicious smile on his face. Tolan and his ships had been a thorn in his side long enough; now was the time to remedy that.

"Four of the ships have jumped away," Three reported as the data was transmitted through the baseship's data stream.

"No matter, we'll get around to them once we've eliminated this group," Five said.

"You two seem to be forgetting that there's still a battle going on out there," Admiral Peter Corman declared with a sound of annoyance that was obvious to all in the room.

"They seem to be doing badly right now; you might want to start thinking about that," Six said as she turned away from the bound Colonial Fleet flag officer.

"You Cylons are so arrogant and full of yourselves, you're celebrating a victory before you've officially won the battle. Didn't you learn anything from the war forty years ago? If Stryker were here, he'd curse you for your stupidity."

One walked over and slugged Corman in chin before he could control his anger, "Your beloved Admiral Stryker isn't here to save you this time."

Corman spat blood out of his mouth, "You are screwed and you have no idea about it. Gods I almost pity you as much as I despise you."

One got down on a knee so he could look Corman in the eye, "You don't have to worry about me pitying you, all I know is hatred for you and the rest of humanity."

"More ships have jumped in," Eight announced.

"What?" Kimmel demanded.

"According to the data we have, it's three battlestars and five cruisers," the eight informed him.

"Get me an ID on them."

"It's the _Victorious_, the _Achilles_, the _Maytoria_, and the cruisers _Neleus_, _Pelagiad_, _Rielle_, _Caldera_, and _Atatar,_" she said.

"Let's divert two of our baseships to eliminate them. That's more attention than they're worth."

_**Colossus, Flag CIC**_**: **

"Thank the Gods," Tolan exclaimed when he saw the signatures of his ships show up on the DRADIS screen.

"It's not much but it should help give us a boost," Whitfield said before adding, "Admiral Jonasson is requesting to speak with you."

Tolan picked up the receiver as Whitfield made the connection, "This is Tolan."

"We got your message and came as quickly as he could," Jonasson said.

"Well, I was wondering what was taking you so long," Tolan joked.

"We had to move some personnel over to the _Maytoria _and _Neleus_ after we moved the trainees off."

"Glad you're here, give these Cylons hell. Tolan out." With that said, he hung up the phone and watched the DRADIS as the shape of the battle began to change. The new arrivals were joining the line of battle along with the ships from the task force. If all worked out there would be new life given to the battle and perhaps even turn it in their favor.

"Sir, we have new DRADIS contacts!" Mullins exclaimed.

Tolan looked up at the screen expecting to see more Cylon reinforcements joining in to ensure that he could not turn the tide of the battle in his favor and could not believe his eyes, "I'll be damned!"

"I'm receiving Colonial ID codes from the ships…they're authentic!" Whitfield said.

Tolan looked up at the screen where the new contacts now had names: _Celeste, Tawa, Boskirk, Themis, Luminere, Onaran, Alecto, Pompey, Vectis, _and _Asterion_. Off to the edge of the screen were two more contacts with the names _Oranu_ and _Queenstown_.

"Rear Admiral Ware wants to speak to you," Whitfield told him.

"Admiral Tolan, this is Rear Admiral Lewis Ware. Do you still need a hand?" Rear Admiral Lewis Ware, the flag officer of Cruiser Group 145, asked.

"Now more than ever, get to the other side of the baseships and fire everything you have at them," Tolan said and he could not help but smile at the group that had come to their aid.

"Seven more baseships have jumped in; looks like they had reinforcements ready," Mullins said.

Tolan thought for a second before he made his decision, "Tell Sakura to take the _Helios_ back to the battle line. We'll take all shuttles onboard before we jump." The shuttles did not have quite the speed of the Reynard class ships, and not the type of armor either. All that could be done was to keep the Cylons from destroying the shuttles.

"Sakura acknowledges," Whitefield said but he did not get to finish.

"We lost the _Indra_!" Mullins shouted.

'Frak!' Tolan mentally shouted but he could not finish any other thoughts when Whitfield cut him off.

"Admiral Brannigan reports that the _Athena_ is about ready to fall apart. He says that if the ship stays in the fight there's no telling how much longer they'll be able to last."

"Tell Brannigan to jump back to the civilian fleet and send word to the _Indra_'s pilots to land on the nearest battlestar."

"We have more DRADIS contacts!" Mullins said.

"Who are they?" Whitfield asked before adding, "Admiral, if I may, listen to this…"

Tolan listened as the speakers at Command and Control came to life, "This is Rear Admiral Nicholas Tattnall of the Battlestar _Libran_. I am ready to attack on your order."

"This is Colonel Cinta Melati of the Battlestar _Gemenon_, also ready to attack on your order."

"This is Commander Jerome Cyprian of the Battlestar_ Stryker_; direct me to where you want to attack."

"This is Commander Audra Ortiz of the Battlestar _Ark Royal_, we stand ready to fight."

"This is Commander Geoffrey Mandeville with the cruisers _Hadrian_, _Auburn_, _Tarrant_, and _Triton Island_ as well as the frigates _Somerset_, _Stroude_, _Argyll_, _Tamar_, _Eurydice_, and _Ulster_. We're ready to throw ourselves into the battle."

Tolan listened to the voices in amazement and looked up at the DRADIS screen where the battlestars and other smaller vessels had suddenly shown up before he picked up the wireless, "Attention all ships, target the nearest Cylon baseship and don't let up until I give you the order to jump."

The space around Ostarsis where the battle was taking place suddenly came to life with the fire from the new arrivals mixing with the fire from the ships that were already engaged in the battle. Vipers and Raiders engaged in a dance of death as each side tried to use its skill and weaponry to destroy the other. What had once been a straight-forward slugging match between the line of the Colonial vessels and the line of Cylon vessels had now changed into a different battle, one that swung the momentum back toward the Colonials. The battle line of the new arrivals was now coming on the opposite side of the Cylon baseships with their guns blazing at the enemy. The Cylons were pinned between the two lines of enemy vessels.

**Lead Cylon Baseship: **

"Where the frak did they come from?" Kimmel asked.

"How should I know? I didn't think they'd actually answer a distress call," One exclaimed.

"About you routing us?" Corman mocked.

"Will you shut up?" Kimmel demanded furiously.

The room shook violently with flames shooting out of one of the entrances. More volleys of gunfire resounded against the hull of the baseship.

"See you in Hades, frakker," Corman shouted and serenaded them with cold mocking laughter as the baseship exploded around them, killing everyone instantly.

_**Colossus**_**, Flag CIC: **

"Admiral, the shuttles have landed," Mullins announced.

"Excellent, send word to all ships to jump to the civilian fleet," Tolan ordered.

The_ Colossus_ shook more violently as the ships along the battle line began to jump away, allowing the Cylons to focus on the _Colossus_.

"Why haven't we jumped away yet?" Tolan asked Commander Dorian Mercer, the _Colossus_' Commanding Officer, through the wireless receiver.

"Our FTL was knocked offline when we got hit a couple of minutes ago. The Chief Engineer is trying to get it back online."

"Make sure he gets it done soon, there's no telling how much longer we'll be able to hold."

"Understood, Admiral, we'll let you know as soon as it's ready."

Tolan took a deep breath and watched, as one by one, the ships disappeared off the DRADIS screen until all that was left was the _Colossus_.

"The remaining baseships are closing in," Mullins announced.

"Issue an emergency recall on the Vipers and inform the gun captains to fire until they're either killed or out of ammo."

The intensity of the impacts against the hull of the _Colossus_ intensified, causing equipment to fall and crew to crash to the deck.

Alone with an FTL that was offline and surrounded by Cylons, not exactly the situation Tolan had wanted to find him in…but yet there it was. The _Colossus_ was one of the newer battlestars and being a member of the _Titan_ class meant that it had the heavy armor to absorb quite a bit of battle damage. However there was the possibility that the FTL would stay offline and the damage would become so severe that the ship would be lost along with everyone onboard.

As the ship shook from the hits coming in from the Cylons Tolan found himself thinking of his friends and loved ones. He had began to wonder if the Battlestar Hermes was still out there and if Commander Artimus Bowman, a friend close enough to be considered a brother, was still alive. If Artimus was dead then he would see him on the other side if the FTL drive was not brought back online.

Then there was Emily and their kids, and the idea of not coming back to see them again. Everything he had done since the Fall of the Colonies had been to keep them safe from the Cylons. Would they still be safe if he did not return from this mission, had he thrown that away by carrying out this operation?

The hits were becoming more frequent and the shuddering of the ship more violent as the Cylons began to move in closer like a pack of wolves coming in for the kill.

'You can kill us but we'll take some of you down with us," Tolan thought defiantly. He knew the _Colossus'_ guns were still blazing away at the Cylons and would continue to do so until they either ran out of ammunition or were silenced once and for all.

He kept his composure as calm as he could be with the awareness that the personnel in the Flag CIC would probably be watching him closely to see how he would react to this situation. Truth was he did not fear death…he was simply in no hurry to make it to the afterlife.

"Admiral, Commander Mercer says that the FTL is back online but the computer can only plot a jump to the Ragan System."

"Tell him to make the jump!" Tolan ordered. The Ragan System was the designated system for the ships to jump to in case they had to jump to somewhere other than the civilian fleet.

Moments later the _Colossus_ vanished in a flash of light.

**Dothan System:**

**Civilian Fleet: **

The ships of the task force, along with the new arrivals, jumped to the outer edge of the civilian fleet. The vessels bore various degrees of damage. Some, such as the battlestar _Athena_, looked every part of the damage they had taken in battle. Others, such as the reinforcements that had arrived to help turn the battle, bore minimal damage. Now was the time to start taking stock of the condition of the ships and take a census of those who had made the return from Ostarsis.

_**Helios, CIC**_**: **

"All ships have reported in," Lieutenant John Hazelwood, the _Helios_' Tactical Officer, reported before he paused, "Except…"

Admiral Naomi Sakura turned, "Except for what Mister Hazelwood?"

"According to our DRADIS, I can confirm every battlestar except for the _Colossus_…" his voice began to drift off as the shock of actually saying it hit him.

"There has to be a mistake. Perhaps the DRADIS was somehow damaged," she said. It was unlikely for that to be the case but she needed some reason to hope.

Colonel Jose Cordova, her XO, walked up to where she was standing at Tactical, "We should have Major Nelson or one of her pilots out there to confirm whether or not the _Colossus_ is out there."

Sakura nodded, "Get her launched ASAP."

"Admiral Ramos is on the wireless wishing to speak with you," Ensign Tai Yang, the officer on duty at Communications, said.

"Thank you, Mister Walpole," Sakura said as she headed over to Command and Control to pick up the receiver.

"Do you know what is going on with the _Colossus_?" Admiral Antonio Ramos asked from his position on the warstar _Aegis_.

"I'm launching a Viper to check and see if she's among the ships or not. There's a chance the communications system was knocked out during the attack. When I know something I'll let you know and we can go from there."

"I got a message from the _Xanthus_ that Admiral Cantu was injured and is now in sickbay. That means that only Brannigan, you, and I are the surviving flag officers if Admiral Tolan is nowhere to be found."

"Thank you for the update, I'll let you know what my pilot finds," Sakura said as she hung up the receiver and began to wonder if the _Colossus_ was actually out there.

**Viper R245332DU, Major Aimee 'Bullet' Nelson:**

The Viper came out of the launch tube with all the speed that could be given from a catapult launch. Major Aimee 'Bullet' Nelson took in the sight of the immense armada of ships. Almost all of the military vessels, including the new arrivals, bore the scars of battle. She began to shake her head at what the crews of the _Vestal_, _Neosho,_ and _Priam_ would think when they saw the immense workload that awaited them on the mobile drydocks once it came time to repair the battle damage.

Before she put her flight suit on back on the _Helios_ she had touched the bullet casing she wore on her necklace as a good luck charm. The bullet had belonged to her grandfather, Fleet Admiral George Nelson, during the Cylon War and she had kept it as sort of a lucky charm.

She maneuvered her Viper through the armada of ships and glanced down at her DRADIS console to see which ship it was she was approaching. The more she flew, the more a feeling of dread began to form in the pit of her stomach.

"Admiral Sakura, I cannot get a visual on the _Colossus_," she said through the receiver in her helmet.

"How certain are you that the ship is not there?"

Nelson hated what she was about to say but there no other way she could think of phrasing the statement, "I've flown through the task force and I can tell you with absolute certainty that the _Colossus_ is not here."

There was a long pause before Sakura's voice came through the wireless receiver, "Thank you, Major, land and be prepared to debrief our intelligence officer."

"Aye aye, Admiral," Nelson said as she turned the nose of her Viper toward the _Helios_.

_**Helios**_**, CIC: **

Sakura felt a feeling of numbness began to take over her mind, where could the _Colossus _be? Was it possible that Admiral Tolan did not make it?

As quickly as she could manage, she began to erase the thoughts from her mind. This was not the time for her to dwell on the possibility that the Admiral of the Fleet was dead. She needed to be proactive and start trying to bring some sense of order to the chaos that seemed to swirl around the fleet in the aftermath of the battle.

"Send word to have a Raptor ready to take me over to the _Olympica_," she said to Ensign Yang before giving him further orders, "I want Admirals Ramos, Jonasson, and Brannigan to meet me on the _Olympica_ tomorrow morning once they've completed their after-action reports. Send a message to Admirals Ware and Tattnall letting them know to meet me on the _Olympica_ as soon as possible; and alert Governor Rush that we are coming and he needs to clear his schedule."

Yang nodded and quickly started relaying the various orders.

Sakura took a deep breath and started looking over various parts of the mission plan. There she read something that caught her eye and when it dawned on her she could not believe she had forgotten such an important detail.

She picked up the receiver at Command and Control, "Establish a connection to the_ Victorious_."

Moments later she heard the voice of Commander Graystone, "This is _Victorious_-Actual."

"Commander Graystone, this is Admiral Sakura. I need you to take the _Victorious_ to the Ragan System and see if there is any sign of the _Colossus_ there," Sakura tried to keep her voice calm and professional. Truth was there was a part of her mind that was beginning to ask the inevitable question: what would happen if the_ Colossus_ was not there or what if all the _Victorious_ found were the remains of the battlestar?

"Yes, Admiral, we'll leave as soon as possible," Graystone said before severing the connection.

Sakura straightened her uniform jacket and turned to Cordova, "You're in charge until I return."

Cordova nodded his understanding before Sakura walked out of the CIC to make her way down to the hangar deck where the Raptor would be waiting to take her from the _Helios_ to the _Olympica_.

_**Olympica**_**: **

**Shuttle Bay Four-E:**

The Raptor from the _Helios_ touched down. Moments after the engines were turned off, the hatch opened and Sakura stepped down onto the deck. She saw two officers standing near where the Raptor had landed. Fleet Admiral John Kronus and Colonel Henry Barton were the military advisors to the Rush Administration. Sakura tried to get a read on their faces but that was proving to be harder to do than she had thought it would be.

"What can you tell us so far?" Kronus asked when Sakura was within earshot.

"Where is Admiral Tolan?" Barton asked before Sakura had a chance to answer.

"I've sent the _Victorious_ to investigate the Ragan System and the neighboring systems in hopes that we can find the _Colossus_. When Commander Graystone returns, I'll know more about what's going on. In the meantime we have our new friends to welcome," she said as she started with making her way out of the shuttle bay with the two officers walking beside her.

"Our intelligence officers are going over the data you sent to us but it's going to take time to analyze it," Barton said. The forty-eight year old Aquarian had served as the _Athena_'s XO until the decision was made to have him serve as Governor Rush's military advisor. With Kronus' retirement from the frontline he had instead taken over the dual role of advisor to the governor and the resurrected Colonial Military Intelligence department based on the _Olympica_.

"That will give us time to jump to a new location in case the Cylons are able to track us back here," Kronus said as they rounded a corner and headed to a nearby staircase that would take them to the deck above.

"Four battlestars showing up along with a cruiser task force was fortunate, though Admiral Tolan had to have been desperate to send out that distress call," Barton said.

Sakura nodded, "The Cylons had brought in reinforcements and they were pushing our battle line to its limit. I honestly wasn't sure if we would have held if our new friends hadn't have shown up."

The rest of the conversation went with a mix of questions and recollection of the Battle of Ostarsis until they reached the office. Several minutes later they had arrived at the area of the _Olympica_ that had been converted into offices, conference rooms, and living areas for the officials in the civilian government.

The Marines guarding the entrance came to attention when the Colonial Fleet officers walked up. The three of them returned the salutes offered by the Marines as they passed through the entrance doors. Standing by the door to Governor Rush's office was Nirmala Patel, one of the Governor's aides.

"Governor Rush is eager to hear your reports," Patel said.

"Have any of the other officers arrived for the meeting?" Kronus asked.

Patel shook her head, "No, and he's more than a little worried about the status of Admiral Tolan."

Kronus motioned for Patel to step with him over to a nearby corner.

"What about you and the rest of the aides?" Kronus asked the young woman in their common language of Leonisian.

"We're worried, but we're trying to make sure it doesn't show. If the Governor sees us worry it might make it worse for him."

"No need to worry, we're still able to fight off the Cylons if they come for us."

Patel smiled at him, "We have the Iron Duke with us, which counts for something."

"I'm just a soldier, Nirmala."

"You are too modest, Admiral. When we met in the Iasos lounge the first day of the voyage I knew that you were as special as all the stories from the Cylon War said you were."

"I won't try to change your mind; just let the other aides know that everything is going to be fine. If your friends and family back in Savastepe could see you now, they'd be proud of you for surviving and making a difference."

"Thank you, Admiral Kronus; I feel better knowing that," Patel said as she headed to open the door to the office.

"What was that about?" Sakura asked once Kronus was within earshot.

"Just offering words of encouragement," Kronus said as he entered the office.

Governor David Rush was standing in front of the large window of what had been a stateroom. His gaze was firmly affixed to the murky blackness of space.

"Mister Governor," Sakura said once the door had closed.

"Admiral Sakura," Rush said as he turned around to face the three officers. He walked over and shook hands with her, "I'm glad you and your ship were able to return from Ostarsis."

"Thank you, sir. I wish all of the news I brought here was good," she said as she mentally thought over the points she would need to bring up with him.

"I agree with you. The news that Admiral Tolan is missing is…," his voice trailed off as he tried to find the right words.

"I've dispatched the _Victorious_ to search the Ragan System and the systems adjacent to it for signs that the _Colossus _might have jumped there."

"If he's not found that is going to create an opening that has to be filled," Rush said as he looked at Sakura and Kronus to see if he would get the reaction he was anticipating. Moments later, he was proven correct.

"I believe it's in the best interests of the fleet that I return to frontline command," Kronus said.

"With all due respect, Admiral, you were removed from frontline command for medical reasons; it makes sense that I take command," Sakura countered.

"I am inclined to take Sakura's side on this one," Rush said as he began to wonder what Kronus would counter with.

"Not that I want to take away from Admiral Sakura and all she has accomplished as an officer but right now these people need a leader they can believe in. For almost eight months, Admiral Tolan was one of the officers that helped to glue this fleet together. If he is lost then the people will need an officer who can inspire the confidence needed to hold us together and help move the fleet forward after something of this nature. It was the same way fifty-three years ago, when the Colonial government selected Admiral Stryker to be in overall command of the Colonial Fleet. There were better commanding officers in the fleets of the various colonies but Stryker was the officer who was the glue that held the Colonial Fleet together in those early days of its existence. I will never forget the look on Admiral Dresel's face when he learned that an Aquarian had been placed in overall command, but it didn't take long for him to change his opinion. This is the right decision and deep down, Mister Governor, you know it is too," said Kronus. The mention of Admiral Alger Dresel, a man who was like an additional father to him growing up, got him thinking about his father Paul Kronus Sr. and his older brother, Paul Kronus Jr. Both were officers in the Leonis Navy, the elder Kronus a Commander in the and the younger Kronus a Lieutenant, before the Cylon War. The elder Kronus was the commanding officer of the battleship Rycon while the younger Kronus served as one of the gunnery officers of the heavy cruiser _Zedaria_. Both had lost their lives in the attempt to keep one of the early Cylon baseships from attacking the colony on the opening day of the Cylon War. The names of Commander Paul Kronus Sr., Paul Kronus Jr., the _Rycon_, and the _Zedaria_ would join the names of the other ships and personnel lost that day in the battle.

'Gods let the _Victorious_ find the _Colossus_,' Rush thought to himself. The comment formed in his mind to remind Kronus of some of the flaws Stryker had as a commanding officer both before and after the war, but ultimately thought better of it. Instead, he asked, "What about your medical issues? The stress of frontline duty was taking its toll on your heart; you'll be putting your life in danger by doing this."

"Mister Governor," Kronus began with a look of resolve on his face that left no question as to how serious he was, "I swore an oath during the Cylon War to do all I could to defend the Twelve Colonies. That oath included giving my life if the need arose. I'm a soldier first and foremost, and right now my people need me to lead them and if that should cost me my life then I am willing to do that in keeping with that oath I swore all those years ago."

There was a long pause in the room as the three officers waited for Rush's response.

"You have made your point, Admiral Kronus. If Admiral Tolan cannot be located by the _Victorious_ then you are restored to frontline duty and can take overall command of the fleet. However, if, for some reason, you are unable to fulfill your duties then Admiral Sakura will take over as Admiral of the Fleet."

"Understood, Mister Governor," Sakura said.

"I understand, sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to lead again," Kronus said with the utmost sincerity. His mind went to Admiral Stryker and he was certain that if there was such a thing as an afterlife then Stryker would be there wanting to come to join the fight against the Cylons and how angry he would be at not being able to.

The door came open and in walked five officers. Two of them were admirals while two of the other three wore the rank of Commander. The last officer to walk in wore the uniform of a Colonel.

"I am Rear Admiral Lewis Ware," the older of the two flag officers said as he stepped to the side to introduce the other members of the group, "With me are the commanding officers of the battlestars _Libran, Gemenon, Stryker_, and _Ark Royal_. Rear Admiral Nicholas Tattnall, Commander Jerome Cyprian, Commander Audra Ortiz, Colonel Cinta Melati, and I answered the distress call from Admiral Tolan and came to his aid as soon as we could. Where is he?"

"Admiral Tolan was on the Battlestar _Colossus_, which unfortunately is currently unaccounted for," Sakura offered.

"Admiral Kronus, it is an honor to meet you, sir. My father spoke highly of you, he always commented on the colorful history the two of you had," Ware said as he saluted the newly appointed Admiral of the Fleet.

"Gary Ware was an interesting officer and his reputation lived up to it," Kronus said as his gaze settled on Cinta Melati, "Would you care to explain to me how the leader of the Erebea is wearing the uniform of a Colonial Fleet officer?"

"It was actually Admiral Tattnall's idea," Melati said, "The_ Libran_ and the _Gemenon_ were present at our headquarters the day the Cylons attacked. Instead of destroying us as he had been ordered, Admiral Tattnall offered my people and me the chance to become crewmembers of the _Gemenon_ under the dual command of Commanders Susan Minerva and Arthur Wallace. There was already a crew on there from the Ministry of Intelligence. With the aid of Commander Minerva we worked together to blend the people onboard into a single crew. When Wallace was with the_Stryker_ on the base known as Amasen and when we met up at the base, it was decided that he and Minerva would rotate their commands. One would run the base while the other would command the battlestar. When Admiral Tolan sent out his distress call, both were on Amasen. To keep from delaying the fleet further I pulled the_ Gemenon_ from the base and joined the fight."

Rush tried to wrap his mind around this revelation, "You're the leader of the Erebea, an avowed enemy of the Colonial government_. _Why would you want to suddenly wear the uniform of a Fleet officer and command a battlestar?"

"The Erebea was offered an unconditional pardon by Admiral Tattnall under the condition that we join the _Libran_ in its fight against the Cylons. Speaking of that, the Cylons nuked my beloved Tauron into an uninhabitable wasteland. If this is the only way I can exact some payback then I believe the saying is 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' These are strange days we're in, Governor Rush, we either fight together or we die individually."

"I don't know what gave Admiral Tattnall the authority to grant you a pardon but I will honor it and keep you in command of the _Gemenon_," Rush said before motioning for the officers to follow him into an adjacent conference room.

When the officers had settled in for the meeting Rush said, "I have a lot of questions that I want answered. I need to know how you managed to survive the Fall of the Colonies and evade the Cylons."

"I can answer that," Cyprian said before adding, "The _Stryker_ was at the Genesis Orbital Facility above Aerilon for its decommissioning. The plan was to have us the crew decommission the ship and walk to the other side of the dock where the new Battlestar _Stryker_ was waiting to be commissioned. Before the ceremony could begin, the Cylons attacked. We managed to escape, and eventually found a secret military base in the Sertis-Beta System hidden near the Little Big Horn Nebula. The base had been abandoned since the Cylon War so we restarted it and used it as a base of operations against the Cylons."

"You're telling me that the Cylons completely missed this base?" Kronus asked.

"It is covered in a material that renders it invisible to DRADIS, so between that and the nebula we have been able to avoid the Cylons," Cyprian replied.

"That explains the _Stryker_, but how did you all meet up?" Sakura asked.

"Actually, I had not met them until now," Ware said.

"In that case, where had you been hiding out?" Barton asked.

"In the Basa-Jaun System; we'd been using the Basa-Jaun Belt for cover from the Cylons. We've made occasional forays to the Colonies for supplies but that has been about it. When Admiral Tolan's distress call came in, I decided it was the best chance we had to find survivors." `

"Commander Ortiz, what about you and the _Ark Royal_? When I last checked, the ship had been taken out of service," Kronus said, intrigued as to how the ship had survived when it probably had no air wing because it had been decommissioned.

"We eventually found our way to the Mjolnir Anchorage to restock our weapons. We had landed cadets from two escort battlestars before we jumped from Lampetia Shipyard. What saved us was discovering the remains of the Battlestar _Kios_ near Armistice Station. We offloaded the Vipers, Raptors, and everything else we thought would be of value to us. We also discovered the _Stryker_ and its base. We have been hiding there while getting our air wing up to speed. Ostarsis was our first major engagement with the Cylons; most of what we have done has been small hit and run operations."

The door opened again and in walked Magnus Ah-Mun. The Eastern Alliance leader was going to say something until he noticed Cinta Melati standing there. He quickly pulled out his sidearm and leveled it at her.

"Good to see you too, Magnus," she stated evenly.

"What the frak is the doing here and in a Colonial Fleet uniform?" An-Mun demanded.

"Magnus, I take it you and Commander Melati have met before," Rush said.

"You could say that, she and the Erebea have been a thorn in the side of the Eastern Alliance for some time. They're a power-hungry wannabe military outfit who will sell their souls to the highest bidder."

"Right, and you and your pirates are so much more honorable than we are. You've raided the merchant convoys as often as we have and you hire your thugs out for 'security' to some rather unsavory corporations."

"You should let me put a bullet through her skull right now and save you the trouble of dealing with her," Ah-Mun hissed as his trigger finger tensed on the trigger. All he needed was the 'okay' from Rush and he could fire. He wanted to go ahead and shoot her but it would be bad for both himself and the Eastern Alliance.

"Ah-Mun**,** that is enough. Right now we need all the help we can get!" Rush said. Silently he hoped that he could get through to the leader of the Eastern Alliance.

"Right now we need to save our bullets for the Cylons, not for settling disputes from a life that has been swept away," Kronus added.

There were a few tense moments. Ah-Mun's face did not betray his thoughts, until finally he lowered his sidearm and holstered it, "You're right, we'll have to work together if we're all going to survive this."

"Glad you see things my way. Now with that being said, I want all ships to take inventory of damage and personnel losses. I will give you two days to have your reports ready. That will give us a chance to allow the _Victorious_ to return with news on whether or not it found the _Colossus_. You're dismissed, but I would like for Admirals Kronus and Sakura to stay here for a moment," Rush said and the rest of the group eventually left the room.

"There is another matter I would like to discuss with both of you," Rush said once the door was closed, "Someone needs to tell Admiral Tolan's family on the _Solace_ about the current situation."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Mister Governor? All it would do would make his wife worry; is that something we want to do?" Sakura asked.

"Better she find out now and be prepared for the possibility, that's not something you want to be blindsided by," Kronus countered.

"She needs to know. I will leave the decision as to who tells her up to you. If you'll excuse me, I need to send word to the Quorum that we need to hold an emergency meeting," Rush said as he excused himself to leave the room with his aides and two Marines in tow.

There was an awkward silence between Kronus and Sakura as though both knew that they needed to talk about a certain issue.

"I know you think I cut your legs out from under you just now," Kronus said.

"Can you blame me for not being too thrilled about it?"

"I can't blame you, Sakura, but I also know you are a good soldier and you've proven before that you are a competent leader."

"If that's the case then why did you lobby so hard to take command of the fleet?"

"I know during the Cylon War Admiral Stryker lobbied hard to shoot me up the command ladder after the Battle of Cosmora. Eight months ago, you were the XO of the _Helios_ and a mere Colonel. That world we knew is gone now and it's a different kind of war, one in which we have to put officers in a situation and pray that they're able to get the job done. You have proven a lot to me, and Scott Tolan spoke highly of your abilities. In spite of that, I cannot afford to let you take command of the fleet and not be up the challenge. One day, Sakura, you could easily reach the rank of Fleet Admiral, but right now I don't feel you're ready for it."

Sakura was quiet as she mulled over Kronus' words. It did not mean she liked hearing them but she had a hard time thinking of an argument. Instead of trying to argue the point she said, "I think you should be the one to give the Tolans the news."

Kronus shook his head. "We'll go together to break the news. You were there at Ostarsis so you can provide eyewitness testimony as to what happened."

"The Raptor I came on is still waiting for me in the shuttle bay. I'm sure we can easily make a detour over to the _Solace_ to break the news.

Eighteen Minutes Later:

"This is Raptor 845 requesting permission to depart," Lieutenant Josiah 'Double J' Jacobs said to the _Olympica_'s traffic control center.

"This is Control to Raptor 845; you have been cleared for departure."

"Copy that Control," Jacobs said as he fired the Raptor's thrusters and prepared to lift off and depart the ship that served as the de facto capital of the civilian government.

Kronus and Sakura sat on the backseat of the Raptor with neither saying something that would break the silence between them. Both knew that the other was more than likely thinking of what they were going to do once they arrived on the hospital ship_Solace_.

Sakura leaned her head back and let out a long steadying breath. The recent events had caused a surge of adrenaline to flood her nervous system and now it seemed the rush of energy was starting to die off.

Kronus looked over at her, "I take it your body is starting to tell you that you're tired."

Sakura kept her eyes closed and flashed a wry smile on her face, "I've seen battle before in the time since the Cylons attacked but this was another scale."

Kronus nodded his head knowingly, "Those were minor skirmishes compared to what you saw at Ostarsis."

"I honestly thought we were in for it until those reinforcements arrived."

"Scott did take a risk by sending that distress call out in the clear, and fortunately for all of us it was a gamble that paid off."

"I'm glad he did, but I can only imagine what would have happened if none of the other battlestars had been there to come help us. Did you ever have a moment during the Cylon War when you thought about how things would have been different if events had gone a certain way?"

Kronus was quiet for a moment before he said, "I had those moments after the war was over. During the war I was too focused on the fight to reflect on things."

"Any of those moments come to mind?"

"It was about three years after the war ended. By then I was heading the Colonial Fleet's Judge Advocate General's Corps, and I was asked to attend the dedication ceremony of the Second Fleet Memorial in Luminere. I think the people of Leonis would have felt cheated if I hadn't have shown, but when I got there Ilooked at the memorial and memories of the battles I had fought in flooded my mind. That monument was dedicated to the ships of the Leonis Second Fleet and the personnel who gave their lives in defense of the colony in the pre-unification days of the Cylon War, and the idea began to form in my mind of the times I had gone into harm's way and the many ways I could have easily bought it. All I can say is that it's a sobering thought to know how fortunate you are to have survived."

"Thanks for putting it in perspective and I'll keep that in mind if I ever start to doubt our ability to win this fight."

"Truth is you cannot allow yourself to think that. The stakes are much higher now than they were during the Cylon War. Focus of getting the job done and keeping as many people alive as you can. When we're all safe and the Cylons aren't a threat anymore then you can allow yourself time for introspection."

Sakura ran a hand over her face as though it would help to stave off the feeling of tiredness that was starting to wash over her, "You're right, that's one of the things none of us can afford to dwell on."

Kronus reached over and gave her a reassuring pat on her shoulder, "You're a good officer Sakura and you have it in you to be a great one with time and experience. Right now just be quiet and get some rest, you both look and sound as though you've been through one hell of a fight."

Sakura leaned her head back against the bulkhead and closed her eyes, "I think that's a fairly accurate statement."

As Sakura rested, Kronus mentally took stock of the situation. He realized there would be time for more detailed planning once there had been an accurate report made on casualties and damage to the ships in the fleet. There was also the planning that needed to be made if the _Victorious_ did not return with the _Colossus_ or if it returned with proof that Admiral Tolan was dead.

He began to reflect on the time that he had known Tolan. He had to admit that while their styles of command were probably similar in some ways they definitely had some major differences and under different circumstances they might not have worked well together. However, Tolan did possess good instincts and for the most part, they had served him well.

'I hope you're alive somewhere out there,' Kronus thought to him, in a way Tolan had become the glue that had helped hold the fleet together. Without him, there was no telling how things would play out.

Twenty-One Minutes Later:

Hospital Ship _Solace_, Cabin CA-132:

Kronus knocked on the door and Brooke Bowman, a close friend of the Tolan family, promptly opened it.

"Admiral Kronus and Admiral Sakura, what can I do for you?" she asked with a voice that hid whatever emotions she might have at seeing the two of them.

"Is Mrs. Tolan available?" Kronus asked.

"She's resting right now."

"Listen, Mrs. Bowman, it's important that we talk with her and Major Graystone," Sakura said. Major Andrea Graystone was currently on leave from the fleet in light of her pregnancy and as Scott Tolan's sister-in-law Sakura felt that she needed to be aware of what was going on.

"I'm here," Andrea Graystone said as she walked over to the door.

"We'd prefer if we talked inside the room," Kronus said and both women quickly stepped aside so that he and Sakura could enter.

Brooke closed the door behind them and took a seat on the sofa. Andrea did the same thing, taking the seat on the opposite side, and each looked at the officers.

"Is there something wrong with the _Colossus_?" Brooke asked.

"Perhaps; it's too early to tell exactly," Kronus offered.

"What's going on?" a groggy-sounding Lacey Tolan asked as she stirred in the recliner next to the window.

"Lacey, come have a seat, Admirals Kronus and Sakura are here," Andrea said.

Lacey came out of her grogginess and walked over to take a seat in a nearby chair, "May I ask what's going on?"

"As you know my ship and I were with the task force that set out for Ostarsis," Sakura said.

"What's going on? Where's Scott?" Emily Tolan asked as she walked out of the cabin's bedroom and looked at Kronus and Sakura for an answer.

"Mrs. Tolan, Admiral Sakura and I are here to inform you that your husband and the _Colossus_ are currently Missing in Action," Kronus said and then watched the words sink in not only with Emily but with Brooke, Lacey, and Andrea as well.

_**Author's Note: This is the last chapter for Volume Three. I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to read it and hope all of you have enjoyed the story so far. Sometime in the near future I will post a preview of Volume Four. Thank you again for reading my story and for any feedback given. **_


	14. Chapter 14: Volume Four Preview

**A preview of Volume Four of Battlestar Victorious:**

**Ragan System:**

In a bright flash of light, the _Victorious_ completed its jump into the Ragan System.

Commander Andre Graystone and Colonel Celina Cruz looked up at the DRADIS display above the Command and Control Station. Each one mentally prayed that if there were any DRADIS contacts that it would be the _Colossus_ or some other friendly ship.

"Negative contacts," Ensign Jared Simons reported from Tactical.

"Perhaps there is something interfering with our DRADIS. Do you think we should launch Vipers for a visual search?" Cruz asked.

Graystone nodded, "We need to be as thorough as we can with this search. Get me the CAG; I want to brief him on what is going on."

Cruz nodded and walked over to Communications and relayed Graystone's request to Lieutenant Enid Branwen. Minutes later the doors to the CIC slid open and in walked Major Rockwell Alston. Alston had recently become the CAG of _Victorious_ and had led the air group into battle when the battlestar had jumped into the fray at Ostarsis.

"You sent for me, Commander?" Alston asked once he was over to the Command and Control Station.

"I'm ordering the air group launched. I want some of our flyers to stay behind in case the Cylons show up, I'll leave who stays behind up to you but most of the pilots are going to be out searching this system for any sign of the _Colossus_."

"Understood, sir, if either my pilots or I come across any of sign of debris you'll be among the first to know," Alston said as he turned to leave the CIC.

"I prefer we run into the _Colossus_ instead of the Cylons. At Ostarsis we had safety in numbers but out here…not so much," Cruz said.

"If we don't run into them here I may expand the search to the neighboring systems, perhaps the FTL malfunctioned and they jumped to one of those," Graystone said as he looked at the map of the Ragan system and its neighbors.

"I hope so; we have to assume that they're out there somewhere."

Cruz thought about how she was going to phrase her next statement before she said, "How much time and resources are you willing to invest on this search?"

Graystone looked at her with a shocked expression, "Is there a reason behind asking that?"

"You saw how many baseships the Cylons had thrown into the fray at Ostarsis, and the _Colossus_ was the only ship that was unable to jump away. There may be a chance that Admiral Tolan and the crew are not even out here. We can't risk losing this ship or getting separated from the rest of the fleet searching for someone who could very well be dead."

"I owe it to Scott to look for him; he dragged our asses out of the _Atlantia_ when we could have very well died. He's family, Celina, and I can't abandon family, especially at a time like this. I'll spend every minute I can searching for him," Graystone saw Cruz about to argue and cut her off, "I won't risk this ship and its crew needlessly, but I am going to use every chance to search for the _Colossus_. I refuse to leave our people behind."

"Unless you have to," Cruz finally said after a long pause.

"Unless I have to," Graystone said quietly.

Viper Squadron One Ready Room:

"The orders are for us to use stims if we need them," Captain Brant 'Wizard' Martin said to the pilots that composed the _Victorious_' Viper Squadron One.

"Any word on what we can expect to find out there?" Lieutenant Jamaal 'Big Daddy' Powers

"The CAG mentioned that we may find the _Colossus_ out there, wreckage of some sort, or even nothing at all. This system was the fallback location for the task force and that's why we're going to search it thoroughly, just in case," Martin said.

"Where is the CAG?" Ensign Weston 'Riddler' Zimmerman asked before any of the other pilots had a chance to speak.

"He's coordinating with the other Captain Lokrum of Raptor Squadron One. The plan right now," Martin said as he brought a map of the Ragan System up on the view screen, "is to divide the system into sections that each of the Raptors will be responsible for. The Viper squadrons will be responsible for protecting the Raptors as well as keeping a visual for any wreckage."

"What are the chances of the Cylons showing up?" Lieutenant Willis 'Wise Guy' Sykes asked.

"No telling; but if the Cylons by some chance show up then alert the _Victorious_ and come back here immediately. Do not engage the enemy."

"I guess that's going to take the fun out the assignment," Ensign Maurice 'Slick' Price joked.

Martin shook his head, "Yeah, that is going to take away your fun, but I think it's safe to say that right now survival is more important than having fun. We just got some hits in against the toasters at Ostarsis, which should be enough to hold us for a little while."

"How long until we launch?" Lieutenant Merlin 'Magician' O'Neill asked.

"We launch in twenty minutes, the deck gang is currently busy doing some repairs and maintenance on our Vipers. When I get the okay from Chief Vance we'll head to the hangar deck and prepare to launch," Martin said as he left the lectern and headed out of the ready room to confer with Major Alston and then with Chief Avis Vance.

"Do you think he's still alive?" Lieutenant Douglas 'Sandman' Exeter when Martin left the room.

"The Admiral has to be one tough son of a bitch to knock off, you'd think after all this time the Cylons would have learned that," Lieutenant William 'Wraith' Llewellyn commented though his tone did not quite match the bravado of his statement.

"If I had my way we'd find the _Colossus_ and Admiral Tolan quickly. He's one of the officers I would hate to lose," Ensign Raquel 'Gold' Maddox said.

"I agree. Though it looked like the _Colossus_ was taking one hell of a pounding before we got the order to land back on the _Vic_ and jump out," Ensign Alejandra 'Grass' Santos said with a shake of her head.

"Yeah, that ship was probably targeted by every baseship there at Ostarsis," Ensign Zhen 'Hipshot' Yang added.

"Suit up and get ready to fly," Martin said. Now was the time for him to leave the squad room and see if the Raptors were ready to do their part.

**Thirty-Seven Minutes Later:**

**Raptor Eight-Two-One:**

"Still nothing," Captain Frederick 'Spider' Lokrum said.

"What are the odds that we'll find something in this sector?" Lieutenant Douglas Gillette, the pilot of Raptor Seven-Nine-One, asked.

"It's probably the same as it is in the other sectors," Lieutenant Edward London, the pilot of Raptor Eight-One-Eight, said.

"Keep the chatter down you two," Lokrum chided the two pilots, the last thing he wanted to do was clog the communications channel with unnecessary talk.

"I'm seeing something off to the left," London reported.

"Can you tell what it is?" Lokrum asked.

"It looks like a piece of wreckage, that's all I can tell right now," London said.

"Let's get the Raptors in close and turn on our search lights," Lokrum said to his pilots.

"Copy that, Spider, we'll stay where we are unless the toasters show up," Lieutenant O'Neill said.

The three Raptors moved in close and turned on their searchlights. The large piece of wreckage was decidedly manmade and bore the black scars of fire damage. To the right of it were the remains of a Viper Mark VII.

"I'll run a scan on the wreckage to see if it matches with any Colonial designs," Ensign Alfred Trajan said as he entered the image scan of the wreckage to see what ships in the Colonial Fleet database it would match.

"London, I want you to get a closer look at that Viper so we can see what battlestar it may have come from," Lokrum said and watched as London's Raptor moved in.

"Captain, we've run the tail number on the Viper and it comes up as belonging to Viper Squadron One of the Battlestar _Hermes_," London said after he had received the information from his ECO.

"Let's see if our wreckage matches the Jupiter class," Lokrum said as a small feeling of relief began to come over him. If that Viper was from another battlestar, then just maybe, the wreckage was from the _Hermes_ and not the _Colossus_.

"We have a match," Trajan exclaimed as the computer showed the type of ship the wreckage had come from.

"What is it?" Lokrum asked.

Trajan's voice held a grave tone when he said, "It's a Mark 48 Rangefinder from the _Colossus_, it was the only ship of the class to receive this type."

Trajan looked at the scan of the wreckage and the line drawing below it. In blinking red letters was the word 'Match' and above the line drawing in black letters was 'Battlestar _Colossus_'.

Lokrum's heart sank and the idea that the _Colossus_ had been lost suddenly became a reality in his eyes, "Let's see if Commander Graystone wants us to search for more wreckage. I don't think we're going to find an intact battlestar out here."


End file.
